The Faded Dreamer
by Shattered-Valor
Summary: "You are now nothing, more so than what you were before." The figure before the speaker barely flinched as their sides were slashed at, "Now...give me an answer when I give you a word while we remember what happened." "Very well, what is your word?" AU-fic w/ OC use and OOC-ness.
1. Distortion

**While I find this a bit unnecessary, seeing as we're on a _fanfiction site_...I do not own the characters used in this story. I only own the made up names and the plot. If anyone else has ever thought of the names used in this, then cheers to you; we think alike somewhat.**

Distortion - _"I am not able to remember **where **exactly we went wrong, only **when** we did. When I try to recall those times, the lines and pictures blur and I'm left with **more** questions than answers, and the faint feeling of **regret**."_

Shadows danced carelessly around a large bonfire, as a nearby figure cloaked with purple flames charted the stars. The wind whipped against its back while the figure was hunched over the large charting manuscript it drew on. Dark green eyes gazed to the stars overhead, twinkling with interest. A meteor caught its eye as it plummeted down from the sky to an area west of its camp. Hesitantly it put the manuscript away in its messenger bag and headed down the hill towards the crash site.

Thick smoke arose from the meteor as the figure cautiously delved deeper into the crater. It tried to fan away the gas as it closed in on the remains. Soon, it found a prone figure; the figure lay immobile, as if it were dead. A sigh escaped the flame-cloaked figure and it hauled its newfound acquaintance onto its shoulder. _If only these damned flames would actually provide some light, maybe I'd find the camp more quickly. _As if on a whim, the camp came into sight. With great care, it set the seemingly dead figure down onto a cot.

"I wonder how you came across this world…" Crackling of the conscious figure's flame-cloak was the only sound in the immediate area, and still failed to show any light, "Perhaps we should head back to The World That Never Was. We've been gone long enough."

A cone of light enveloped the flame-cloaked figure and then it became two figures, holding a cylinder shaped device with triangle shaped handles. The device snapped in half and they each set aside their piece. One went to save what was left of their bonfire and the other knelt down next to the cot, examining their acquaintance's wounds. Slowly tracing the many scars that ran across the unconscious figure's arms, the other figure rejoined them, arms full of supplies.

"W-where…am I? Is this Heaven?" The figure mumbled; voice distorted due to their helmet.

A young man with slate-colored hair with cobalt tips kneeling beside the figure, shook his head, "Far from it, foreigner. You're still caught with the living. Please, discard your helmet; I must see the full extent of your injuries, to check whether or not your head was affected."

Shaking their head the figure attempted to get up, failing miserably as their arms and legs were constricted by tentacles formed from puddles of darkness, "You'll be released as soon as you comply with my request. We mean you no harm, sir." The cobalt eye that was visible, silently pleading.

"Miss; I'm a woman, you jackass." The figure stated heatedly, examining him; the right half of his face was covered by his bangs concealing his right eye and a few strands fell over the left half, some of them framing his face, "Tell me who you are first."

He raised his eyebrow, "I am not able to tell you that, Miss, for there are certain complications that may possibly arise should I divulge our identities to you."

"Then keep your hands off me. No way am I going to do what you asses ask for."

Silence fell upon the three of them, until the standing figure knelt down beside the young man, "Man, just tell her. If you think we're going to get anywhere with this…as if." He turned to the woman, who waited expectantly for them to submit to her request, "I'm…Snipe."

She visibly relaxed a little, "…what's his name?" The woman nodded over to the younger man.

Snipe nudged him with his elbow, "Enzio. There we've told you who we are; now remove your damned helmet."

"Some way to address a lady…you're too kind." The tentacles dissolved and the woman fell back onto the cot, "Ouch…"

"You deserve that you insufferable woman…" Enzio muttered as he applied some potions and wrapped her arms in gauze; pausing to look at her visor, "Remove the helmet."

Reluctantly, she did as she was told; revealing a middle-aged woman with reddish-brown hair and dark green eyes, "I don't think my head took any hits from the crash-." She was interrupted by a bead of blood running down from the bridge of her nose.

"Yes, and I believe _that_ to be rain. _Red_ rain," Enzio rolled his eyes as he gently wiped away the blood.

He continued his work in silence as the woman hummed softly, staring up at the stars. She smiled, and let her eyes drift from the stars to her caregiver. Enzio's visible eye darted to her gaze back down to the wounds he was cleaning. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth but snapped it shut.

"There…don't do anything strenuous or some wounds will start bleeding. You'll be sore for a while, but that's expected." Enzio turned and began to walk away. "If you have any questions or concerns feel free to speak up, Miss-"

"Marie. Call me Marie." She finished with a small smile back on her features as she closed her tired eyes.

Nodding Enzio walked over to Snipe, who was sitting on a stool disassembling and reassembling his guns. Snipe nodded to him in acknowledgement as he sat across him. _What drove me to go along with his stupid idea…telling this 'Marie' our alter-egos…?_ _Thank Kingdom Hearts they weren't our actual Somebody names or we'd be in trouble. _ Enzio grimaced as he leaned against a dead tree.

"So…what, dare I ask compelled you to go along with her? She has no right to know who we are. Plus, we're under no circumstances to get friendly with potential attackers."

The man with the eyepatch smirked, "She doesn't _know_ who we are, little schemer."

Enzio glared at Snipe, "Not so loud, you buffoon, Marie might be listening!"

"Oh~ so now you're well acquainted and don't wanna ruin anything? Damn hypocrite…" Snipe teased.

"Look…_Snipe_ it's not like I'm enjoying this or anything. We need to stay incognito, just a few more minutes and then we head back to save X." Enzio added a little emphasis on his friend's name.

Snipe's smirk faltered, "Do…you think he's alright?"

The younger man stood up, dusting himself off, "Of course he is; most of them could've handled things themselves but…" Snipe nodded as he crossed his arms behind his head.

"_Man_~ are we gonna be in deep shit for doing this." Snipe rested his head back onto his arms with a light-hearted smile.

"The Superior—er Xemnas, is a complete idiot. There is more to regaining hearts than building some giant heart-shaped **moon**;it's a bloody moon for crying out loud. They could've trained, just like we did or we could be doing to opposite of what Xemnas planned; somewhere deep inside that damned moon are our original hearts. Why not regain them through extraction?" Enzio continued to pace with his right hand resting on his chin.

Snipe looked at him intently, "But, you and I have regained half our hearts, right? So there isn't really a point in extracting those hearts. I mean, we've practically got new ones now thanks to training and that fusion device we built."

Enzio nodded as he paced, "Yes…yes, in a way you're correct. Utilizing our full potential through all this training…and the fact that we have a family bond has reawakened our dormant hearts. I cannot believe that IX was right, however realizing how blind Xemnas has been…" The slate haired young man groaned, "All this stress is really taking its toll on me…"

"Wait a minute there, Enz—I think something's here."

Snipe dismissed his guns and summoned a white armguard with teal wavy stripes onto his left forearm as Enzio summoned a black armguard with crimson streaks to his right forearm. White and black clouds appeared over the armguards and swords appeared in their hands. Novashadows circled them, trying to make a slash every once in a while. _They're planning when to attack…perhaps when our defenses are down._ Snipe glanced at Enzio and turned his back against him. _I'm not sure that your idea's going to work. Going back-to-back might prove useful at first but…_ A glare from the older man caused Enzio to withdraw his previous thought. _No need to give me such a harsh response. _Turning away from Snipe, he positioned his sword diagonally in front of him and placed his left palm two inches behind the curve of the blade. Snipe kept his sword-wielding arm close and pointed his right arm forward, as if ready to thrust it forward.

Two novashadows lunged toward Enzio, but were sliced away. One leapt high above Snipe and managed to scratch his shoulder. He retaliated by stabbing through its chest and swirling around to slice any other oncoming attackers. Suddenly a strike to the chest left him winded, and four long claws reached out to his left eye. The novashadow dispersed into a black and purple vapor as the black tip of Enzio's blade stuck out from its chest. Twirling his sword around so that he held it in reverse, Enzio closed his eyes and thrust his left palm forward. A grey cloud loomed overhead and bolts of lightning made quick work of their enemies.

Snipe was back up on his feet, taking in deep breaths, "You couldn't have done that earlier, you ass?"

Shrugging the younger man replied, "My magic wasn't ready. Fusing and splitting uses up my magic, remember?"

"I oughta find a way to make a comeback to that. 'Cause I hate it when you're right." Snipe rubbed his side, "Can't believe I got caught off guard."

Enzio smirked, "Happens to the best of us, Snipe_._ We should get going now."

"Whatever you say,Enz, but you should go check on Marie first." Snipe flicked his wrist to the side, opening a corridor.

Scoffing the other man walked over to the cot, finding it empty with traces of darkness seeping off it. _So, she died…but how could so many novashadows appear? Perhaps it is a sign. _Jogging over to Snipe after grabbing the messenger bag they tossed to the side; he dismissed the Corridor of Darkness and summoned a Twilight Portal. A mutter of annoyance from the older man amused Enzio as he turned to face him.

"It's to prevent Xemnas from sensing us. He knows when a Corridor of Darkness is opened and might send something or _someone_ after us. Understand? Or have you already forgotten the importance of stealth?"

"Alright I get it. You know maybe…never mind…let's head out." Snipe jumped into the portal and Enzio quickly followed.

_A waste of time and memories..._

Rushing to his opponent, as he created a card barrier, Sora slashed through. The teen turned to see the barrier fall, but no Luxord. A frown was spread across his face until his friends reappeared. As the group of friends ran back to the Proofs of Existence, Luxord reappeared with two other cloaked men. The British nobody turned to face them, a relieved expression on his features.

"Thank you both for saving me back there. But, if you'll indulge me…would you care to tell me why exactly you two chaps did so?" One figure shook its head no.

Luxord raised an eyebrow, "Now wait a minute…only Xigbar has his shoulders pointed like that…besides Demyx."

The figure that shook its head smacked the other upside the head, and then summoned a Twilight Portal. It shoved Luxord in and then opened another Portal. The other figure reluctantly closed the previously opened Portal and jumped through the other one leading to Addled Impasse. Before they went to help Saix, they stopped to discuss what happened.

"_Enzio_, that was uncalled for!" Snipe hissed as he added emphasis on 'Enzio'.

Enzio groaned, "Snipe_,_ we have to do this. This is the only way they'll all understand."

Snipe nodded his head at Saix, "Fine … But why are we saving _his_ sorry ass, he's the one who tried to—!"

"I am well aware of what he tried to do to me. All is…forgiven. However, what happened with Lex…"

Snipe seized him by the shoulders, "What _he_ did to you was wrong, whether or not it was some duplicate. I **won't** let him near you again."

"D-don't touch me…" Enzio squirmed out of his friend's grasp, "It'd be best if I handled such things myself, you know."

Snipe scoffed, "_You_…handle things. _You_ of all people would want to handle this kind of thing on your own? As if," He turned and hopped into the battle.

_A waste of potential..._

Saix shakily stood his ground as he guarded against Goofy's shield bash. He leapt back and raised his claymore, Lunatic, into a defensive position. Donald pointed his staff at Saix, readying a spell, but was interrupted by a cloaked figure wielding a sword being followed by another with a large gun equipped on their left arm. The duck lowered its staff as the cloaked figures chained Saix and sent him through a portal. The two figures stopped to converse with one another and then the one with the sword turned to face their direction while the other seemed to be a bit bored, and preoccupied themselves with something else.

"What the… Would the Nobodies betray one of their own?" Goofy questioned as Sora approached the figures.

Riku and Kairi began walking towards them as well, "Riku, are these guys friends of yours?"

"Nope, I don't remember meeting them before…although one of their scents is familiar."

Sora raised an eyebrow, "One of their _scents_ is familiar? Man, has the darkness made you a lot weirder."

The figure dismissed their sword, "To recognize a person or world by scent is a rather peculiar ability, yes, however proves useful on many occasions. Unless the world or person has a rather unpleasant aroma, then it can be an inconvenience."

"Who are you guys, anyway; why did you help us?" The figure with the gun disappeared through a portal and closed it.

"I'm afraid I cannot answer your questions as of yet, however I must ask something of you." Sora looked amongst his friends and then shrugged, "But, you may find my request a bit…ridiculous."

Goofy seemed to be thinking about it, "Gawrsh, how bad can it be?"

"I don't like this guy…even if he helped get rid of that Saix." Donald muttered.

The figure crossed their arms and turned to the window, looking up at the heart-shaped moon, "Once you reach the Altar of Naught…do not take Xemnas's life. If you cannot do so…then I'm afraid we will face each other soon enough."

Sora swung his arm down diagonally, "No way! He's hurt so many…how can we just let him live? Because of the Organization, Kairi was abducted; she could've been killed!"

"I am aware that whatever I say to you might be disregarded, however, wouldn't you want a second chance?" Sora's eyes betrayed his angered expression, "They aimed only to slay **heartless**, so that they may retrieve their own lost hearts. I cannot understand your animosity towards those who had reasons for another chance. Not everyone can be like you, you know."

The teen took a step back, Donald and Goofy at his side, "What do you mean, 'be like me'?"

Shrugging, the figure opened a Portal, "Roxas **why**, they _cry_, Roxas **the traitor**, they _shout_. Ever wondered why they say that to you? Why, because you've been able to become whole once more. When you became a heartless, Roxas was born and when you woke up weeks ago, Roxas merged with you, becoming whole and all the other Nobodies wanted to do that. They wanted to _feel_ again, they wanted to be _whole_ and you're taking that opportunity away from them, without even giving any of them second chances."

Blue eyes darted away from the dark hood that was reprimanding him, "Whatever you think of Nobodies, take that into consideration. _Your_Nobody, Roxas, got his second chance…maybe he didn't even need it, but still he _got_ it. So why deny other Nobodies their second chance at a life that was taken from them unfairly or otherwise? Some of them were too young to die; some just needed a voice of reason to guide them, or a hand to catch them before they fell off the edge. Why won't you let them have a chance for redemption or to truly live the lives they didn't get to?"

The figure teleported to Naught's Approach, as he was frustrated by the keyblade wielder's reaction. _Why must he make things so very difficult? Not that I don't like the challenge, but honestly…he's making everything more frustrating than it should be. _Shaking his head, he then teleported to the Altar and met up with his companion. They watched as Xemnas held his arms high up for Kingdom Hearts.

"So, you still choose to work so hard for this…**moon**…" Xemnas turned to face them.

Orange eyes narrowed with anger, "Kingdom Hearts is the only way to regain our hearts; the only way to be _whole_ again."

The figure moved to remove his hood but decided against it, "I'm sure you really mean to say is that all this work was just for _you_. Everything you said to your Organization were empty words, _lies_ borne of desperation! Just so you can reawaken Xehanort?"

The silver haired man lost his composure, "H-how do you k-know about that?"

Motioning to his companion with the white and teal gun, "He and I have known the truth since the beginning. Did you simply brush me off as naïve?"

His companion walked over to the railing, spotting some movement, "Looks like the kid might not get his fight."

"Don't mind the key-bearer, he may get in the way though… What do you think should be done?" A laugh erupted from the man at the railing.

The figure standing closer to Xemnas turned to see his companion jump over the railing. _You'd better know what you're doing. I cannot continue this all by myself._ He turned back to face the silver haired man. Xemnas had readied his Ethereal Blades, eyes closed and head down.

"Perhaps you'd consider talking as an alternative?" The figure sidestepped as Xemnas tried to slash through him, and sighed, "As you wish, Xemnas, if you won't consider listening to my reasoning then I shall have to make you see, that all your **false** hopes are _nothing_, **_absolutely nothing_** but blatant **illusions** of your _pathetic_ mind!"

Teal fire engulfed his left hand up to the elbow and his sword reappeared in his hand. Pointing the blade at Xemnas he gestured for the other to charge. _Let's hope both of our fights end well, Father._ Spinning to the right, he hit Xemnas's arm, but received a small cut on his left shoulder. They leapt away from each other, ready to strike when the time presented itself.

**Shattered: Another story on my platter. No one pays attention to this but, I do hope I've perked your interests somewhat. Erm...I really don't know what else I can say to any reader actually looking at this.**

**Enzio: Read and please do review. This author needs some constructive criticism.**

**Shattered: -.-" Thank you so much for your support.**

**Snipe: *Snickers* Can't hide the truth y'know. Only my kid can.**

**Shattered: Shut up...he's not even canonically your kid!**

**Snipe: Well, we're just awesome like that, dude.**

**Enzio: Act your age for once!**

**Snipe: Make me!**

**Shattered: Whoopsie... ^~^"...-.- Now I wish some of you guys don't actually read this.**

**Dusk: OMIGAWSHHAI! Ooooh aaandd SPOILERS up there anyway.**

**Shattered: *Death glare***

**Dusk: I-I-I mean... *Starts leaning back and forth***

**Shattered: At any rate, if you've figured out who 'Enzio' and 'Snipe' really are, please don't say anything.**


	2. Reality

Reality -_"I reject your reality and substitute it for my own." _- Adam Savage

Jumping back, Snipe held his side and dropped to one knee. A brunet stood across from him with his faithful companions at his side. Looking up to the platform where his friend—no, his _kid. His son_ fought with some crazed fool. The silver haired fool he himself helped create…but if his kid is right, which he usually is, maybe things can work in their favor.

"And so the old man gave in to the Twilight…**as if**." A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he staggered back onto his feet. "You got some nerve, kiddo; I shouldn't have underestimated a key-bearer for the…fifth time, I think."

The brunet ran forward, raising his keyblade high and ready to strike him down, "Shut up!"

Snipe dodged, almost causing his hood to drop, "Man…that's a lot of anger in your eyes. Why are you doing this? Do ya think I _wanna_ fight, huh? I just want my…friends…nah, that doesn't sound right…oh I got it; I want my _family_ to get their hearts back. Would it kill ya to understand that?"

Again the teenager charged at him, but his companions were beginning to be uncertain of this fight, "Shut up, you're just trying to get me to back down like some idiot."

"You're far from an idiot, Sora," Snipe blocked the attack with his own sword, "But, the world you see isn't just black and white."

Sora smacked the blade out of Snipe's hand with his left arm, "I said, shut up!"

"Enough! Sora that won't do any of us any good, your rage makes you susceptible to Darkness!" King Mickey rushed up to him, grabbing a hold of the teen's wrist.

The hooded man in front of them fell back. Another bitter laugh erupted from his lips. Suddenly, hurried footsteps came down from the stairs nearby them. The other figure had a struggling and chained Xemnas over their shoulder. Nearly everyone's attention was directed towards them, but Sora continued to glare and try to finish Snipe off.

A gasp was heard from the figure's hood, "Father!"

Snipe lifted his held a bit and looked over to him, "Hey there, my little schemer. Did Xemmy give you a tough time? I bet he'd give me a large piece of his mind instead of a fight."

"Don't call me that, Father. Please, hold still," Kneeling down next to Snipe, the figure tended to the wounds.

Xemnas got into a sitting position against the railing he was placed against, "…wait… who are—of course…I should have guessed; who else could come up with a scheme such as this… Zexion, what is the meaning of all this, you should be punished for treason!"

Zexion removed his hood, turning his head slightly, "There are various ways of regaining our hearts. Xigbar and I have found a solution where we keep the skills we have now, but there would also be a minor price."

Xigbar groaned, "That's beginning to hurt. Stop putting so much pressure on it!"

"I'm barely even touching your side! The key-bearer dealt a lot of damage to your ribcage though…perhaps I'll start setting them once you've fallen asleep."

"What about a curaga spell?" Xigbar slurred, the younger man sighed despondently.

Nodding over to Xemnas, Zexion spoke, "He put up a good fight. It took many spells to finally get him weak enough to be immobilized, but if anyone else is willing to help us maybe you'll be in better shape."

Zexion stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose as Xigbar fell into unconsciousness. _Damn it…_ He turned to see Riku gazing at him. A spark of recognition was in his eyes, as he walked up to Zexion. Slowly, a smirk appeared onto the Schemer's features as he stood tall. The silverette wore a relaxed expression.

"So you're Zexion…I remember fighting you in that castle. I see you've gotten taller." Riku stated, looking the other over.

Zexion shrugged wearily, "That would have to be because of this device Father and I built. We fused so that we could repair our broken bodies, but perhaps we can discuss this further at another, more pleasant time."

Sora stopped struggling with King Mickey and looked around. Everyone was calm and unarmed, but him. A light flush of red on his cheeks, he dismissed the keyblade. Muttering an apology he walked over to the side, sorting his jumbled thoughts and feelings. The Schemer frowned and let his eyes drift across the faces of his new acquaintances. A nostalgic feeling quickly drifted up into Zexion's mind and then went away.

"It is an unfair life, we Nobodies live don't you agree? Faded memories and lost chances at our lives…however I recall seeing you before, I believe." Zexion rested his gaze on Kairi, who looked puzzled. She shook her head, "No way, I don't remember anyone like you before."

The man chuckled flatly, "Miss Kairi, do you not remember the old Radiant Garden? I was the little boy with an oversized lab coat that always followed a 'creepy science man', as many other children worded it. But, I suppose that's understandable…you were only four at the time we crossed each other's paths."

"I…I'm from Radiant Garden?"

Nodding, Zexion's voice softened and was just barely above a whisper, "Because of our mistakes, the Garden descended into darkness and several people had to flee to other worlds for refuge. I regret being a part of the experiment. So many died 'for the sake of science'…if we listened to Ansem…" Shaking his head he turned to rest against a railing.

_Fool, you are not allowed to do such a thing…_

Xemnas thrashed around trying to free himself from the chains that bound him. He cried out in frustration once he fell over. Narrowing his orange eyes, he focused onto the person that caused him to be in such a vulnerable state. Xemnas got up to one knee and closed his eyes. _They'll all pay, but he goes down first._

"Zexion…you are a fool. If you are to restrain an enemy, you'd be sure to bind their legs as well. My arms aren't needed for what I'm about to do to you." The senior Nobody muttered to himself while he watched as Zexion leaned against a railing across from him.

Getting up on his feet, he charged and knocked his target off the edge. A scream filled the air, startling everyone once they noticed Xemnas was standing triumphantly near the railing where Zexion once stood. Mickey summoned his keyblade, ready to strike at Xemnas but a soft humming sound redirected his attention from the Nobody to the railing. Slowly, Zexion reappeared, on a hover-cycle comprised of his sword and Xigbar's.

Zexion smirked as he circled around Xemnas, "Getting rid of me, now? You'll be disappointed to know that I am fully prepared for whatever you attempt to throw at me."

"DAMN IT!" Xemnas shouted as he plopped back down on to the floor.

Zexion landed his hover-cycle and dismissed it. He turned to King Mickey and bowed. Zexion's cobalt eye met the mouse's kind and sincere black eyes, as he knelt down so they were almost at eye level. The King smiled and patted his arm, glancing back at Xigbar's prone figure.

"Your Majesty, if you would be so kind as to heal my father, I would forever be in your debt." Zexion closed his eyes, "I know you may not trust us, but please, I cannot undo what Xemnas has wrought without my father. If my grand scheme for redemption in the Light fails, you're free to do what you wish to us as punishment."

Mickey's eyes seemed even softer, though that couldn't even be possible, "Now, now, there's no need for such talk. I'll do what I can for him and whatever happens, I forgive you for all this. At least you are trying to fix what went wrong."

"You are truly too kind, Your Majesty. Thank you." Zexion stood up and looked back up to the Altar, "One can only hope that the others don't preoccupy themselves with too many trivial affairs."

A sniff, and suddenly the smell of sea salt mixed faintly with honey and cinnamon entered his nostrils, "So…what exactly are you two trying to accomplish here? If I find out that you're planning to destroy any worlds or hurt my friends-!" The Nobody laughed at his threat.

The teen seethed as Zexion replied, "Empty words, Master Sora. You're presence hardly qualifies as daunting, however I'm sure we can discuss what has happened between you and the Organization."

"You were trying to mock me, Emo?" Sora was up in Zexion's face.

The taller male crossed his arms, "I did not intend any disrespect; nevertheless you have gone too far with this argument. It is not my fault my hair naturally swoops over my eye, it just **does**. Classifying me as a stereotypical 'emo' is just plain rude, emo is a term used for emotional rock or just the word emotional or maybe for an overly emotional person, which I cannot be without my heart. Furthermore, I request that you stay out of my personal space."

Narrowing his eyes, Sora stomped back off to the side, "Lecturing bastard…"

"You and I cannot afford to bicker like this, especially with these new factions that have revealed themselves to the Light—erm-Twilight." Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose as he took two steps toward the younger male, "Can you not see what is at stake here? The worlds will pay the price for your ignorance!"

The brunet huffed, "What could possibly worse than trusting the villains? You could be tricking us, for all we know." A sharp exhale could be heard from behind him.

_You're such a child…_ "Master Sora, I refer to you as such because of the importance of your existence. If you choose to be impatient and thoughtless then I will do my best to tolerate your juvenile antics." The key-bearer waved Zexion away and found the crook of his arms a sudden point of interest.

_There will be no tolerance of such folly…_

Zexion watched as his companions interacted with one another. Sora decided to keep avoiding contact with the illusionist, and ignored him whenever 'resolving their conflicting emotions' was brought up. The Cloaked Schemer sat cross-legged beside his unconscious father and sighed heavily. _Wake up soon you idiot…the others are waiting. _Xigbar made no attempt to reply, continuing to breathe unevenly.

"The gunner and the shroud continued in their pursuit of redemption, but in an unfortunate event the gunner succumbed to the cries of hatred that emitted from the once pure heart of our protagonist." King Mickey's ears perked up to hear the Schemer, "'What is our true enemy?' the shroud wondered aloud, 'is it the bleak night that has fallen upon us, or the gentle seams of light that was taken unfairly from our lives? Could you tell me please? All I have ever seen are the stark shades of grey. Some unforgiving and others welcoming, but never are they truly pure in power like the night or the day.'"

Slowly opening his eyes, Xigbar slowly propped himself up, "The gunner got up into a sitting position and shrugged, 'we may not be accepted in the purity of the day or the corruptness of the night, but we'll find peace in the Twilight.'"

The Freeshooter laid himself back down, "'If we cannot be accepted in purity or corruption, then how can we be in Twilight I wonder…the Twilight may be the in between of both sides, but what of the Dawn?'"

"'The Dawn in more partial to the Light, as the Twilight is to the Dark; they both are equal in power, but the Twilight seems closer to us than the Dawn.'" Zexion smirked.

"The shroud turned its attention to the moon, 'but weren't we already close to the Twilight when we were incomplete?'"

Xigbar snorted, "'You're thinking too much, again. But I'll give you this; didn't you answer these questions for me when I asked you?' The gunner gave the shroud a confused look."

"'I am aware of what I said to you before, but I was just hoping you'd answer my questions with your own input.' The shroud let his gaze fall to the ground." The Freeshooter sat back up.

"You wanted my own opinion, little schemer?" Zexion shut his eyes, "Well, I don't know what to tell you. All I know is what you've told me, and I don't even think I know _half_ of what's going on what's going to happen."

The Schemer stood up and crossed his arms, "I was…afraid that would be your response."

Xigbar looked to the side, "At least our narrating skills have gotten better, yeah? I mean that was kinda fun."

Zexion walked away, his eyes directed to the heart-shaped moon once more. He let his shoulders slump and walked back up to the Altar. A scent filled with lilac and darkness filled his nostrils. The King was following him, obviously…but what for? The Schemer sank to the ground and hugged his knees close to him, _I came here to think, not question others' actions. Or answer any questions, for that matter._

"What are you doing up here?" The King's soft voice queried.

The Schemer's eyes softened, "I'm here to think and nothing more, Your Majesty. Perhaps you'd find it better to leave me alone. After all, Nobodies do not have feelings therefore do not feel the need to be comforted…at least that's what most people want to believe…"

Mickey walked around to see Zexion's face, "You say that you're fine, but your eyes are searching. What's bothering you?"

"I…just can't grasp why Master Sora is prejudiced against all of us for what one man did. I am fully aware that Xemnas's intentions weren't exactly on the good side of the spectrum, but what he did doesn't define the rest of us." King Mickey wore a thoughtful expression.

"Give Sora some time, he's just…stubborn at times." The young man scoffed.

Mickey raised an eyebrow, "But time is something we're going to run out of. The kid needs to set his priorities straight and he needs to do it soon, something wicked is brewing. The key-bearers of Darkness, Twilight, Dawn and the Light will soon gather and the worlds will descend into chaos."

"Another Keyblade War is going to happen? Then, Sora and Riku must take the Mark of Mastery test."

Zexion nodded, "That is why _I'm_ here. I'm the keyblade master from the Realm of Twilight. It is my duty to help them obtain their Marks and their armor."

"So…how do you plan on telling them about the war?" Mickey asked as he sat cross-legged in front of the Nobody.

Shrugging, the Nobody looked to the moon, "Oh, I was planning a tea party where we'll all eat crumpets and little triangular-shaped sandwiches. Which then, would be followed by dancing and once everything is finally settled down once more, I shall stand and make an announcement on the upcoming war."

"And you take _that_ as an appropriate approach to the situation?" Mickey let out a chuckle.

Zexion slightly grinned and shook his head, "Actually, I was hoping we'd be able to head over to meet up with one of my informants first. There are various things to be organized and informing those two about the war might get complicated."

The King quirked an eyebrow, "What do ya mean it might get complicated?" A sigh erupted from the other's lips.

"Sora isn't exactly willing to listen to me or anyone that is considered a Nobody. I know he's stubborn, but I'm afraid soon it'll just be absurd trying to communicate with him."

"Like I said, give Sora some time." Zexion nodded pensively.

"Contrariwise, Riku is more willing to listen to my reasoning. Yet, speaking with him might cause Sora's actions to be more…severe. Do you understand, Your Majesty? Not only will communicating with Riku without Sora's presence cause our plans to be hindered, but a conflict between the heroes." Mickey sighed, turning to walk back to the lower platform.

Zexion got up into a kneeling position, "Where exactly will we be headed to meet up with this contact of yours?"

"The Dragon's Tongue," The King furrowed his brow as the Nobody continued, "It isn't a world; it's a nightclub on the world of Terminus."

"We're meeting with him at a nightclub?"

The Schemer angled his head to look back, "Not the finest location to hold a formal meeting, I know, but you have to trust me, Your Majesty."

Mickey walked down the stairs and sat on the second-to-last one deep in thought. His eyes were narrowed as he debated whether or not to put much trust in these Nobodies. They stopped Xemnas, but that could be for an ulterior motive. Nobodies don't really have hearts to care, so why would they desperately try to keep Xemnas alive? At least, that's what Mickey has been led to believe since the discovery of the Nobodies.

_Your dreams will become nothing, there is no absolution…_

Sora was up in the Freeshooter's face as he began to argue, "What do you **really **want from us?"

An amber eye was narrowed as he looked up at the teen, "You're in my moonlight, man, not cool."

"I don't care about your stupid moonlight! Answer me," he grabbed the Nobody's trench coat.

"So mean," Xigbar whined with fake hurt, "You are a very mean keyblade wielder. You should be ashamed of yourself."

The teen pushed the Nobody back into his laying position and strode over to the side, "Stop acting and just answer."

Xigbar sighed and seemed to become a bit gloomy, "I'll answer after you give me one. Why have you tried so hard for your friends?"

"I care about my friends. I love my friends; they're all I've had since I've left home." Sora responded.

"Me too, y'know, that's life for Nobodies too. All we've got is all we'll ever have: each other. I love my family so much and in your anger you tried to kill them."

"Tried to? But I thought I did get rid of them."

A snort came from the older man, "And you call _me_ insensitive."

"They were a threat to the worlds! They were aligned with the Darkness!"

Wincing, Xigbar sat up, "You're defend yourself with a philosophy that is incorrect. Us Nobodies, we're aligned with neither Darkness nor Light, but Twilight. Do ya know the difference?"

He earned a confused look from the teen as he continued, "I'm taking that as a definite **hell no**. See, Twilight is a realm in-between your misinformed perspective. Twilight can be pointed closer to the Light or to Darkness. But cause of Supreme Commander Jackass over there, we were believed to be evil. Is it so wrong to want our hearts back? Is it wrong to slay Heartless with a keyblade? Is it wrong to want a heart out of love?"

Sora raised an eyebrow, "But that's impossible, you cannot love!" This earned him a light punch in the arm from Riku.

"Sora, just shut up and listen to Xigbar," The brunet looked to his friend and reluctantly nodded.

"Once again, you are misinformed, Nobodies are fully capable to love and feel, but it doesn't feel like its whole without a heart. We can love like you guys do, but it isn't as fully as you guys can love each other. A heart adds a little oomph to our emotions, but even without it we're technically like you guys."

"Yeah sure, what—…" Riku was giving Sora a dangerous glare.

The older teen grabbed a hold of the younger teen's ear and walked away from the tired Nobody. Xigbar sighed heavily and got up to his feet. Glancing back at the Altar of Naught, he opened a Twilight Portal and stepped through. A swish was heard as it scattered into thin threads of grey light.

_Those you trust have none in you…_

"Gawrsh…that sounds pretty serious. Do ya think they're ready for it, Your Majesty?" Goofy placed a finger on his chin.

Mickey shrugged, "Riku should be in control of his darkness and Sora can be level-headed when he wants to be. They'll be fine."

"So, are we heading back to Twilight Town, sir?" Donald asked.

"No, Donald, we are going to head to Terminus." He received odd looks from his friends.

Goofy crossed his arms, "I've never heard of a place called Terminus."

The court magician shook his head, "That was never recorded in the journal or any books about the known worlds."

"I don't believe it ever was, but we should make sure Zexion's serious about this war." Mickey narrowed his eyes a bit.

"As you say, Your Majesty." Donald reluctantly muttered.

Goofy frowned and nodded, turning to the side, "Sometimes these wars fuddle with my mind…"

The King sighed and decided to sit down with the teens to chat a while.

_Doubt will remain in place of the hope you try to convey…_

"I know you don't return my feelings but…no, no, that makes me sound stupid. Oh! I've been meaning to tell you for some time now, that I have fallen for you. No…that I love you, no I still sound stupid and cliché." Zexion smacked his forehead as he paced around.

He leaned against the railing, deep in thought. _Think about it Zexion, they haven't truly **felt** for a long time. What makes you think **now** will be any different? _A sigh followed and his face was buried in his hands. Suddenly, Zexion felt his face heat up. _W-where did these thoughts come from? These inane thoughts only fools could come up with. Only people who can love are to have these thoughts. _A chuckle came from the stairs behind him.

"What is all this about then, my little schemer? 'Only people who can love can have these thoughts'? Are you thinking about a certain someone? If not, then doesn't loving your dear father count?"

Xigbar strode up beside Zexion and draped an arm around his son's neck, "Father, no, family love isn't exactly what I was…"

The older man beamed, "Aw, my little schemer's crushing! Who is it?"

Zexion's cheeks were scarlet, "I-it isn't l-like that! The Council has c-certain r-reg-regulations and…stuff."

"You're stuttering! C'mon you can tell Pops what's up in that brain of yours." Xigbar urged as the younger Nobody desperately tried to push him away.

"Well, 'Pops' I'm currently thinking that you should be removing your arm from my person or you'll find yourself in a predicament." Zexion growled as he finally got out of Xigbar's grasp.

Rolling his eye, Xigbar turned and leaned backwards on the railing, "No need to use that kind of tone with your old man."

"I'll respect you properly when you start doing the same for me, Father." Zexion leaned onto the railing as he was before.

The two Nobodies let silence fall upon them as they basked in each other's presence. It was comforting to be with someone you trusted as family around. Cobalt eyes glanced at the amber eye looking in their direction. Xigbar was frowning and his eyes held an emotion, but Zexion couldn't figure out what.

"You do realize that without thoughts, I cannot interpret what you are feeling or planning, Father." Zexion noted softly.

Xigbar made a sound akin to a laugh/scoff, "Telepathy is useful for the two of us, but when we need privacy…"

"We tend to not think at all, we just feel." The younger man finished.

"Exactly," The Freeshooter nodded, "We just let our feelings run through us and let them do all the talking and/or thinking."

Zexion turned his head to look at his father, "So what is it that you're feeling, Father? Is something wrong?"

Another pause of silence fell over them. Noticing Xigbar's eye darting around, Zexion took it as a way of refusing to tell and accepted it. However, Xigbar met his gaze and his amber eye held determination in it. The older man sighed and briefly looked away from the Schemer. Zexion raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"The Council is so…wrong. They think it is wrong for you to fall in love with someone just because-!" Zexion held a hand up and cut him off.

Xigbar gave him a confused look, "Let us not make these wounds more profound. They've gotten what they want from me and with good reason, you know that. As long as I do my best to hold myself to their standards, then they can help the others."

"What would be the point then? It won't be complete without…" The Freeshooter trailed off, "They just don't let you have a choice."

Zexion nonchalantly shrugged, "Life goes on, as the saying goes. Life brings sorrow, happiness, joy, hatred, but never stops. Life will lead down different paths, but the ending is always the same. We will all fade, but for some, they fade quicker than expected."

"I can only wish those words weren't true. I don't like feeling helpless, you know." It was Zexion's turn to wear a confused expression, "I mean I can't even help my son in his time of need. You aren't letting me help you, why won't you?"

Xigbar's face was contorted with sadness and anger as Zexion carefully chose his words, "I am not about to let you interfere with things that shouldn't concern you."

"I can be concerned with whatever I want to be concerned with! Love isn't wrong, is it? I mean, sure it might get in the way of work, but I believe my son should be happy."

"Well, then the Council isn't too receptive to your wishes. They take whatever they wish and crush it on a whim, such as life goes. We cannot change it and they do not desire such frivolities." Zexion replied narrowing his eyes.

"…Is it _that_ wrong to want to be happy?" Xigbar opened another Twilight Portal, "Happiness may not last forever, but love does and it isn't _frivolous_…"

The younger man watched sadly as his father disappeared through the Portal. He gazed up at the starlit sky, as it always was, and let his tears fall. Each drop denser and darker in color, as time passed on while the Nobody cried. It didn't make sense; tears were to be clear and light, not as dense and bloody as they were for Zexion. Narrowing his eyes once more, Zexion thought back to the last meeting with the Council and their damned powers. _Such things should be forgotten, you know how it is. One must forget in order to remember. Forget these emotions and let the…_ Zexion slammed his fist against the railing; _Let **it** consume you for you are nothing more than a **Nobody**. _They said it in such a way that made it seem that being a Nobody was an obscenity, a fault. He wasn't to blame for such an existence; he was sentenced to it by unfair factors during his true lifetime. A fault he cannot correct, an obscenity he cannot fix with apologies. Most of the Council is prejudiced against him because of it.

"Simply **being** isn't a crime is it? Simply existing among others cannot be so bad." Zexion frowned, "This meeting will be another slice of hell for me and the other Nobodies…"

**Zexion: I think I have a headache...**

**Shattered: I would have hoped this was better than being chased by a pack of dogs...or Saix, but mostly dogs.**

**Zexion: *Gives Shattered a look* I'd rather be chased. However, Saix is quite unpleasant when pissed off, so I'd like to be chased by the pack of dogs.**

**Xigbar: What exactly _is_ the Council anyway, my little schemer?**

**Shattered: NO! *Smacks Xigbar and covers Zexion's mouth* If you spoilt some aspects of the story now, I'd be ruined.**

**Zexion: That should matter because...?**

**Shattered: -_-" You think I'm a lost cause already, don't you?**

**Xigbar: Hey, at least he's putting it lightly.**

**Shattered: _LIGHTLY?_**

**Dusk: Please get away before things get ugly.**

***CRASH! BANG! {By the Hearts' Mercy! Someone help me!} THUD! CRASH!***

**Dusk: Reviews pwease! (Please note that no one was actually hurt in this sequence-AAHH NO WAIT NOT THE HAMMER!-see you at a better time.)**


	3. Phobia

Phobia – _"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them." _- Andre Gide

Sora groaned as Mickey went over their course of action once again, "Do we _have_ to go with them? They're lying to us, I know it. There's no way a 'Keyblade War' is happening." The teen put air quotes up when saying Keyblade War.

The mouse half-heartedly glared at him and gestured to the sky, "If we just let the situation be, it could get worse and cause more worlds to die. I **am not** letting this pass me by; not doing anything would be foolish."

The brunet sighed and looked away, and Riku put his hands over his face, "Arguing about the problem won't get us anywhere, you know. Let's just prepare for the journey ahead, we'll sort it out at Terminus."

Kairi looked back and forth between Riku and Sora, finally resting her eyes on the ground, "Let them have at least one chance, Sora. Maybe we might overlook something if we kill them, or you're absolutely right and then we can deal with the problem. But, we'll never know the truth if we kill them now."

"So it's settled then, we're heading out to Terminus once everyone is ready?" Mickey asked carefully looking over the teens and his life-long companions.

Riku nodded with a look of determination and Goofy saluted, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Donald bowed, "Of course, King Mickey."

Kairi lightly nodded while Sora just let a grunt. Rolling his eyes, the King waited patiently for the two Nobodies. But turned his attention to the young keyblade wielders and then sighed as Sora and Riku got into another argument about an offhand comment earlier. _Kingdom Hearts have mercy…_

_You claim to not fear us; that you do not fear **me**. You refuse to run from my attacks._

_-I refuse to run from what I do not fear, **sir**.-_

Wiping the piece of metal clean, Zexion put it into one of the pockets inside his coat. **_Whoosh. _**The young man got up onto his feet and nodded at his father. Xigbar stiffly returned the gesture, his lips worn in a firm, thin line. Slightly quirking his lip up to grin, Zexion headed down the stairs with Xigbar in tow. Upon seeing Riku and Sora engaged in a heated argument with Mickey trying to calm them down in between them, he let out a sigh.

"If you'd just admit that I-," Zexion tuned Sora out as he acknowledged Donald and Goofy with a light smile and a nod.

"There's nothing to admit to you, Sora, I am only-," Xigbar snorted and leaned against a railing as Zexion turned to Kairi.

The teenager smiled at him, "Morning. You sleep well enough?"

"I slept fine, thanks for asking," Zexion stepped aside as Sora ran away from Riku, "is there any explanation for what's going on?"

Kairi shrugged as Mickey chased after both of the boys, "Let's not get things out of hand!"

"I'm not really sure which one of them made the comment earlier, but I guess I wouldn't really understand much since I was half-asleep at the time."

Xigbar stifled his laughter, "A fight over a comment, dude that's priceless." Riku dashed around him on the railing.

"Now, Father, don't get any ideas about this…dispute between the heroes." Zexion cast a wary glance at the Freeshooter.

"As if _I_ am going to let this chance to pass me by, _as if_." He snorted at the sight of Sora trying to tackle Riku down, only to have the plan backfire on him.

Sighing Zexion grabbed the bridge of his nose, "What a 'morning'… I do hope Xemnas was comfortable with the transfer last night."

"Pfft! Erm—I mean yeah, I was totally paying attention to what you just said, kiddo."

"That wasn't what I was asking about, Father. Although that'd be very much appreciated…" Zexion trailed off as Kairi put her hands over her mouth.

"BOTH OF YOU STOP IT THIS INSTANT!" Mickey called out once again, only to be ignored.

Goofy placed his hand over his mouth in order to hide his grin while Donald shook his head. The slate-haired Nobody sighed, pinching his nose a bit harder. Xigbar's shoulders shook once he saw the position the two teens were in; Riku had Sora pinned on the ground.

"Father this is hardly the time to be laughing, I don't even-," Zexion glanced at the teens and his eyes widened, "FATHER!"

Kairi quirked up one of her eyebrows, "I don't see the problem. They've always wrestled like this before…"

"B-But it's s-s-so…suggestive… I would never have thought they'd be like _that_." Xigbar began laughing.

The young redhead began blushing and averted her gaze to the side as Zexion gave him an irritated glare, "Father, stop being so damn inappropriate."

"They brought it down on themselves." Xigbar shrugged, attempting to hide his smirk.

"I doubt that they'd ever consider… Just stop it!"

Zexion's glare intensified as Xigbar raised his hands up, "Alright, alright, you win my little schemer. I won't say anything else."

Finally, Sora and Riku dusted themselves off and walked back to the others. However, Sora seemed to be slower than usual. The older Nobody turned his back to them and leaned over the railing. Riku turned his head to Zexion with questioning eyes, but the Nobody mouthed 'Don't ask, just please don't ask'.

The silverette shrugged and then looked to Kairi, "Are you alright, Kai? You're looking sick."

She gave him a light smile and then looked away, her eyes brimming with laughter. Sora came up beside Riku while rubbing his arm. The silverette smiled in triumph while the brunet glared at him half-heartedly. Zexion covered his face with his hands while Xigbar muttered something to Goofy, earning him a laugh. Mickey huffed and leaned against a railing. Donald was attempting to hide his grin as well and kept his face pointed towards the star-filled sky.

"Ahem, are we all ready to get going now?" Zexion broke the awkward silence as he took a few steps to the stairs leading downward, "Time to head to Terminus."

Xigbar gave him a questioning look, "Are we using the Portal or are we taking the Organization Gummi Ship?"

"We're taking the ship. You know very well that we cannot continue to summon Twilight Portals." The Freeshooter nodded.

"Oh yeah…that stuff," He dismissed the matter with a shrug, "Let's get going then. I've always wanted to see the ship anyway."

_You will fail because of your flaws._

_-So I shall, but I hope you fail as well.-_

The group reached the doors of the hangar. Xigbar was holding in his excitement as Zexion lit his left hand in teal flames and entered the door code. Sora chose to wear a bored expression, but failed to hide his eyes which slightly held an interest to the place. Even Riku and Kairi were curious as to what they'd find behind the large metal doors. The King and his subjects stood to the side somewhere, waiting to see behind the doors as well.

"Give me a minute or two once the doors have opened; the hangar hasn't been used for a long time and the lights might no longer work and a few webs might be found here or there." Sora looked slightly apprehensive.

"There are s-spiders?" The slate haired Nobody glanced back at him.

"Do you have arachnophobia?" Sora let out an indignant puff.

The keyblade wielder pushed Zexion aside to enter the hangar, "N-no, I do not have a 'whatever-you-just-said'-phobia! I've fought Heartless and Nobodies. I fear nothing!"

Just as soon as Sora marched in, he jumped out with a yelp as Zexion rolled his eyes, "Yes, of course; our dear protagonist has no fears, nor does he dare shed tears at the sight of an arachnid."

Xigbar chuckled at his son's sarcasm, "Now Zexy, show a little compassion for the poor kid."

"If he believed I could, then I would," The slate haired Nobody briefly brushed away his bangs, "Let us continue on to the ship, Master Sora."

Sora glared at Zexion and Xigbar before nodding, "Y-You go in first and I'll f-follow."

The Nobodies shrugged and entered as requested. Riku placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Kairi looked at Sora and then walked in as well; the King and his subjects in tow. The brunet watched as the group went past him with an apprehensive glare. _Are they seriously going with them?_ Sighing, he trudged in behind them with his eyes focused on the ground. _Might as well give them one chance, after all, they just need one chance to screw everything up and show their true colors._

Everyone could only see so far into the darkness of the hangar with the help of Zexion's arm. Slowly moving forward, the slate haired Nobody at the front motioned for them to stop as he went to the side. It seemed to take forever as he finally reached the wall and dusted off the light switch. Once he flipped the switch up, the hangar lit up within seconds and revealed a large, sleek jet shaped Gummi Ship. But, blocking the path to the jet was two oversized spiders.

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy." Sora grumbled as he summoned his keyblade, "It **never** is that easy!"

Zexion sighed, "Looks like IV forgot to get rid of his old experiments when he was asked or VIII never did get around to doing this chore of cleaning up after IV."

"Well whatever the reason, we have to deal two huge assed spiders!" Xigbar yelled as he dodged an incoming web.

"Ew…this day cannot get any better can it?" Kairi asked as she ducked behind some crates.

Goofy bashed his shield into one of the spiders' legs and then rolled away. Donald began casting firaga, only to be swatted to the side by the spider closest to him. Mickey leapt up into the air and pointed his keyblade down as he landed onto a spider's back. It scurried away with Mickey trying to stay on to attack its head. Jumping back, Zexion cast blizzaga and managed to freeze the spider, which still stood in front of the jet, in place. Xigbar summoned his Arrowguns and began firing at both of the spiders. Riku slashed away one of the frozen spider's front legs while Kairi took out one of the back legs.

Sora was standing off to the side, holding his keyblade close, "Geez…"

"Master Sora, it would be appreciated if you did something other than stand around like a jackass." Zexion called out as he dodged some venom spewed out by the spider that was running around.

"Erm…no thanks, I think standing here looking pretty suits me better." The brunet chuckled weakly as the Nobody glared at him from afar.

Riku rushed by him in order to go help Mickey, "It'd really help if you did something, man."

"I-I know…but there's a gigantic spider in the way, no thank you." Xigbar growled and teleported next to the teen.

"Yeah, but you've faced tons of Heartless and Nobodies! What makes spiders so damn scary to you?" Sora sighed.

The gunner looked down at the teen, "I just don't like spiders! Give me a break…"

"I would _love_ to, but we really need you to help us kick ass before we get _our_ asses kicked."

The teenager looked to the side and Xigbar rejoined the fray. Zexion summoned his armguard and transformed into its gun form. He kneeled and began firing at the frozen spider. It screeched and managed to break free and moved towards the Nobody. Kairi jumped away from the area before any shards could cause her harm. Before the spider could drag Zexion closer, he blasted its face. Another screech erupted from the spider, and then it dropped to the floor. Xigbar kept phasing around the room to get a hit on the spider that Mickey was fighting. Riku jumped onto the spider's back and began stabbing it. It kept screeching which caused Sora to drop to his knees and cover his ears. _Make it go away…make it go the hell away…_

Zexion glanced over to the teen as he covered his own ears for a moment, "…What _can_ we do to make the damn thing stop?"

Xigbar dove out of the way as the spider came storming past him. It threw Mickey and Riku off its back and began spitting venom everywhere. Kairi rolled to the side of the hangar to dodge some incoming venom. Zexion converted his gun back into its original form and shot a grappling hook onto one of the beams that hung over him. Swinging out of the spider's view, he swooped down onto its back and summoned his keyblade. Then he drove the blade through the spider's head and leapt off as it ran into a wall. He turned to look at what was left of the hangar. _By the Hearts' Mercy…look at what we have done…_

Xigbar pushed himself up from behind a bunch of crates and Riku was helping Mickey back onto his feet. Goofy was sitting against a barrel, rubbing his forehead. Donald was making a fuss about him being knocked out with no one there to revive him as Kairi tried talking to Sora. The brunet was making overdramatic arm movements and nearly yelling at the poor girl. Sighing, Zexion turned his gaze to the jet.

"At least our transportation was spared from any damage from the spider's venom." He climbed onboard the grey, black streaked ship and sat in the pilot's seat.

Not too long after, the others drifted in as well, "Well, whaddya know? This place ain't half bad; the interior's got a corner couch and some rooms further in. All luxurious and stuff…I mean there's no way I'd ever wanna get rid of this thing."

Zexion watched as Xigbar plopped into the copilot's seat, "Not even if you were offered over a billion munny for it?"

"As if anyone could put a price on this baby," Xigbar ran a hand over the controls, "as if."

"Reminds you of the labs, doesn't it?" The Schemer's voice was barely above a whisper as he prepared the ship for takeoff.

His father let out a chuckle, "Yeah…ever since Ansem started talking about gummi parts and all that other stuff, and then the King managed to arrive in a Gummi ship… I've always wanted to ride in one of these. But, now that I'm actually in one, it reminds me of the experiments where I was put in charge of the mechanics."

Zexion shifted to make himself comfortable in the chair as he buckled his seatbelt, "We should get moving now, Father. Get buckled and inform the others on the intercom."

Xigbar's eye twinkled with mirth, "Why don't we just make our departure and freak the shit outta the others?"

"Father," Zexion eyed the Freeshooter, "Another time, maybe, but we must head out now. I'm…anxious to see the others."

"As you say my little schemer, I'll inform the others and deal with the navigations and make sure to warn you when any enemies appear on the radar." Xigbar put on a headset and pressed a button to begin making announcements to the others.

The younger Nobody moved to pick up his own headset, and began examining it. It was an earloop headset, much like Xigbar's. The microphone was rectangular and stuck out an inch from his face. As for the look, it was dark grey and had two thin, white stripes lining the microphone and had a faint purple glow. Zexion turned his gaze to the interior, letting himself get lost in his observations for a moment. The cockpit was cut off from the lounge area by an automatic white door, but he remembered what it looked like on the other side of the white door. Grey carpeting matted the lounge area leading down the hallway to the other rooms, and the 'corner couch', as his father worded it, was dark purple with a crystal coffee table sitting in front of it. Past the crystal coffee table had been a flat-screen T.V. and on the other side of the room were some couches built into the side, also colored dark purple. _Comfy looking place…I might as well agree with Father on his musings._

A snort interrupted Zexion's train of thought, as Xigbar grinned at him, "I knew you'd come around to agreeing with me on something!"

"Whatever you say, Father, let's get the ship up in orbit and head over to our destination."

**Shattered: I realize that there might be a few mistakes, but bear with me. Once I have enough time, I'll run through these chapters and correct what I can.**

**Zexion: Highly unlikely.**

**Sora: Hey, author-person?**

**Shattered: Yes, Sora?**

**Sora: Why do _I_ have the fear of spiders?**

***A giant spider's head pops out of nowhere* Sora: -insert girly scream here- *runs away***

***Zexion smacks the spider* Zexion: Father...why?**

**Xigbar: Well, why _not_?**

**Zexion: Point taken.**

**Dusk: Review please!**

**Shattered: -.- Xigbar nearly gave _me_ a friggin' heart attack...**

**(Somewhere else) Xemnas: Heart attack? ...Another heart for my MOON! *runs off***


	4. Reunion

Reunion – _"Our reunion wasn't exactly happy at first, I'll admit that much, but I missed them dearly even as some of their reactions were less than welcoming."_

Xigbar was on the verge of falling asleep as Zexion guided the ship through an asteroid field. An exasperated sigh later, the Freeshooter was kicked in the shin. He howled in pain and his hands flew to the injured area and glared at his son. The younger male glanced back at him and briefly reminded him to keep awake to keep an eye on the radar. _Is that to be taken as it was meant to be or like some sick joke? _Seeing as Xigbar was half-blind, he scoffed in disgust and Zexion raised one of his arms in irritation. Half an hour later, and this process was repeated. However, the ship was already out of the asteroid field.

The Schemer groaned, "_Father_, by the Hearts' Mercy, **wake the hell up!**"

"F-fi mur mins…s' too early…" The older Nobody snored.

"'S' too early' my _ass,_ get up!" Zexion smacked him on the shoulder.

Xigbar lazily attempted to swat away the hand, but failed and shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "Mmf…mffhmhm…"

Cobalt eye twitching, Zexion unbuckled himself and smacked Xigbar with his Lexicon, "'No, I'm tired' doesn't get you out of this! Get up!"

Ungracefully falling out of his chair, and then onto his face, Xigbar grunted indignantly and propped himself up, "H-hey! I'm still injured here, show me some slack!"

"I would absolutely _love_ to, but seeing as you're lounging about when I need you; I need to take action and deal with it." Xigbar continued to glare at him.

"How does hitting me upside the head solve anything for you; it only serves to cause me pain!" Zexion shrugged as his father got back up, "And how the hell did my seatbelt become unbuckled?"

"One, it solves everything and two, it unbuckled once we landed an hour ago."

"Wait…what?"

The Schemer groaned in irritation and gestured to the window, "We've arrived at Terminus already, Father, and I need your help to get the others to the Dragon's Tongue."

Xigbar looked confused, "But you were still buckled in…I don't…what?"

"Let's go Father, at this rate we'll have more to worry about than the blaring music."

_A gathering of fools and their hopeless dreams…such a waste…_

The group began making its way to the Dragon's Tongue. Every once in a while, they'd have to retrace their way to the Central Plaza because of all the giant neon signs and the club music that seemed to echo throughout the entire city. Riku had made a point to say how ironic it was that the city was so lively compared to the name of the world; Donald had made it his job to continue mentioning this at least every six-to-ten minutes. Despite having to go backwards and Donald's constant reminder of irony, the group was enjoying themselves a bit. Sora had his head bobbing up and down to the rhythm of a certain song, Riku would occasionally hum along to the song's lyrics if it had any, and Kairi would put an extra bounce in her steps. Mickey just kept looking around the town in awe of the many neon lights, Goofy tried dancing a bit and ended up knocking Donald and Zexion over, Donald would gripe about something for a bit and then let it go to dance to a song he seemed to like, and Xigbar would clap to some songs and even go as far as phase on a nearby stage to dance. However, Zexion acted like the only one who didn't necessarily find anything particularly interesting. He walked behind everyone else, taking in their amusement with a stoic expression.

The slate haired Nobody looked up at the neon signs and put on thin-framed sunglasses, tinted cobalt to match his eyes, "The Dragon's Tongue should be near our location."

Xigbar looked up for a brief moment and then set his gaze forward, "Man, look at this place. To think, that Terminus used to be known for the numbers of deaths the world had within two days… As if," The Freeshooter's eye glanced over a crowd that seemed to be dancing down the streets.

"Ever since we decided to help out here, things definitely took a turn for the better." Zexion added in as he walked past some colorfully dressed teens.

Riku's eyes glinted with a faint hint of curiosity, "Why does everyone here where some kind of neon colored article of clothing or have glow-stick necklaces, bracelets or just any kind of glow-stick in general?"

"I have a better one," Sora piped up as he walked between Kairi and Riku, "When did our clothes change?"

Zexion shrugged, "I thought you all would've noticed by now."

"…Well I knew they'd change, but they weren't like this when we walked out of the ship."

Xigbar laughed as he put his hat on backwards, "Then maybe it takes time for your guys' clothes to adjust. You can admire your new looks once we get to the club, follow?"

Sora looked at the Nobody incredulously and stupidly nodded as Kairi linked arms with him and danced on ahead. Riku stretched his arms out and subconsciously fixed the neon yellow tie he was wearing. Mickey looked at himself and shrugged as Goofy and Donald were discussing their new looks. Zexion grinned as he fixed his glasses to rest low on the bridge of his nose and stopped in front of a nightclub with a large red neon sign that had an orange serpentine dragon with a green tongue underlining the words 'The Dragon's Tongue'. The slate haired Nobody called the others over and went to open the large glass doors. Xigbar grabbed the other door handle and the two opened the club's doors.

_Hopeless, worthless pieces of trash, that's how you should be labeled._

Narrowed orange eyes scanned the unfamiliar room. A low growl could be heard from the chained figure beside the eyes' owner and hushed voices could be heard from the corner behind them. Music blasted from the balcony above them and the room behind them and the chained figure's growls became louder. However, despite the loud music and unruly looking patrons, the lobby looked as if it were made for a palace; marble columns lined with gold stood around the silvery room, the floor was made with large, dark blue glass tiles, a fountain stood at the room's center with a grand chandelier hanging over it. _Where the hell am I? And what happened to that damned brat and those traitorous bastards?_

He didn't realize he had voiced his thoughts aloud, "Who knows, _Superior_, we've been here for what seems like forever."

A pink haired man walked around to stand in front of the Superior, "Marluxia…I didn't realize I had been put in here with _you_."

"I'm not too happy about this arrangement either, _Superior_. But, I suppose we should put our differences to the side for the time being; who were you referring to as 'traitorous bastards' anyway?" Xemnas scowled and shifted in his restraints.

A platinum blonde with green eyes got up from one of the lounge chairs, "The question that should be answered first is 'Where are we?' not the one about these traitors, Neophyte."

Summoning his scythe, Marluxia pointed it towards the blonde's neck, "Watch what you say, you fossil! Or else I'll have you regretting ever opening that mouth of yours."

Xemnas shut his eyes, "Remember XI, 'set aside our differences'."

"Back to the numbers are we, Superior? I'm hurt," Marluxia dismissed his scythe as the blonde took a step back.

Another platinum blonde with a goatee and some piercings on his ears stood up from a couch that had a young man with red spiked hair sitting on it with a rather large man with oddly spiked auburn hair, "Now Vexen, Marluxia I believe that instead of sharing hatred towards each other, we could perhaps share some cups of tea instead."

Vexen scoffed and walked away, "Knowing you Luxord, you'd probably add in some rum."

"No thank you, I'd rather fight Lexaeus than 'enjoy' the company of IV over spiked tea." Marluxia stalked off to the side.

The redhead on the couch snickered, "Since that idea was shot down so quickly, are you still gonna bet on who's gonna win?"

Luxord shrugged as he brought a cup of tea to his lips, "C'mon, mate, you know my bet's on Marluxia. What about you, Axel?"

"Considering that Vexen's a horrible fighter and I managed to take him down with a well-aimed hit, I'm going with Pinky." Axel got up from his seat and walked over to the doorway leading to the dance floor.

"What about you, luv, you got a mind to bet?" Luxord looked at the imposing figure that sat across from him.

"I don't really see the point in betting on who shall win, X. We should focus on finding out where we are and how to get out of here first."

"You're such a bore, Lexaeus…" The blonde leaned back into the lounge chair he sat on.

Sitting on a beam above the group, a man with dreadlocks was observing them but was suddenly brought down by a pillar of water. Before he could fall on top of one of the glass coffee tables, the man summoned a tiny tornado and rode it down onto the floor. A dirty-blonde young man ran up to him with a large sitar in hand. The young man's sea foam green eyes were widened and seemed full of fear. _Impossible_, the man with dreadlocks thought,_ none of us have emotions._ Summoning a spear, he let its point rest on the young Nobody's neck.

"I-I'm so sorry, Xaldin! I w-w-was arguing with Larxene and began strumming Arpeggio t-to defend myself when I thought she was gonna attack me! I-I must've aimed my a-attack wrong a-a-and-!" Xaldin grasped the other Nobody by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

"Demyx, IX, if these happens again I will kill you. Accident or otherwise, you'll regret it."

Demyx nodded vigorously and Xaldin dropped him, "You got it." The dirty-blonde began walking away.

"One more thing," Demyx flinched and slightly turned to face Xaldin, "If you plan on defending yourself, use less powerful attacks indoors. While the attack you used didn't necessarily injure me or anyone else, it could've provoked another person and you would've been cornered between Larxene's kunai and someone else's weapon."

Demyx relaxed, "Thanks for the advice, Xaldin."

_Have you ever **felt** jealous of them? They seemed to get along well without you._

_-If you think that you can break me with words, I dare you to think again.-_

A woman with bright blonde hair with two long strands acting like antennae leaned against the arm of a couch as Marluxia paced in front of her. It was obvious that the pink haired man was in a foul mood, but that didn't stop the woman from speaking. She seemed to hesitate before opening her mouth, though and waited another minute to see if his mood would go away. Seeing as the mood wouldn't disappear she slightly quirked up her lip and began speaking.

"You know, Marly, if you keep this attitude up you might rival that senile old man we know as a pain in the ass to deal with." The other Nobody half-heartedly glared at her.

"I don't want to deal with your insults right now, Larxene, all this time we've spent here only proves to make me more irritable…" Larxene stifled a snicker.

Marluxia raised an eyebrow as he focused on her, "Is it that time of the month for you again, Mar-Mar?"

He just glared at her and huffed in annoyance. _We don't know where the hell we are, the music blaring from the other room isn't helping my thoughts and Larxene's beginning to get on my nerves._ Marluxia leaned against the wall and rubbed his temples, _Could this get any worse?_ He was stuck with the other members of the Organization which he hated and out of the eleven he only had a mind to deal with one. _Wait…eleven? Roxas is no longer with us but…two other members are missing. Was Xemnas referring to VI and II?_ Just then, the glass doors opened and the Assassin's blue eyes focused on the people entering.

The group consisted of eight people and those holding the doors open really caught his eye first. The one holding the left door open was a young man wearing a dark grey fedora with a dark blue rose design on it that blocked his face, purple headphones rested on his neck, an unbuttoned white vest with a purple stripe on both sides, a black dress shirt with its sleeves folded up until his elbow, and dark green baggy pants with a wolf design on his right leg. The other guy seemed older and wore a white baseball hat backwards showing a scar on the lower left of his face with an eyepatch on his right eye, a white t-shirt with a bleeding heart on it, a brown leather jacket, black fingerless gloves and dark blue jeans torn at the knees. Marluxia noted that the man on the right had a ponytail. Next he examined the people that entered, a familiar brunet with spiky hair wore a neon yellow jacket that had black sleeves, and orange goggles rested on top of his head and had light brown shorts with a silver chain hanging on the side. Following the brunet was a silverette with a halfway zipped grey vest, what seemed to be a black dress shirt also with its sleeves folded up, white skinny jeans, a neon yellow tie and black sunglasses that rested low on his nose. A teenaged girl with her short dark auburn hair tied into a ponytail wore a long-sleeved grey shirt with hot pink stripes on the sleeves and white angel wings on the lower corner, and a purple frilled skirt.

Marluxia narrowed his eyes as the group made their way inside. He watched as the man with the fedora turned to address the group and heard Lexaeus get up to his feet. The man then turned to face the members of the Organization and pushed up the brim of his fedora. It revealed long slate bangs with cobalt fringes covering his right eye and cobalt sunglasses, which matched his visible eye, and rested low on his nose. Slowly, the ponytailed man walked past the younger and stiffly greeted Lexaeus. But he was pushed aside as Lexaeus went to see the young man.

Silence fell over the room as Lexaeus faced the young man, who stood at least an inch below him, "Is that you, Zexion?"

"…I should be saying how good it is to see you once more, shouldn't I Lexaeus?" Zexion replied.

The tall man frowned, "You've gotten taller."

Zexion nodded, "An explanation for that can be given at another time. I must see some people first before-…"

Xemnas jumped out of his seat as he struggled against his chains, "YOU DAMNED BRAT!"

"I suggest you calm yourself," Xigbar said coolly as he summoned his Arrowguns and aimed them at the Superior.

A growl was heard; suddenly Zexion was pinned down by the Luna Diviner, "Saix."

The berserker didn't respond as he began pummeling the Schemer, "Saix…get off of me…or you'll regret it."

Xigbar pointed his guns at the berserker, "Get off of him, Dog!"

"No…allow me to… handle this situation." Zexion spoke between hits, "Crepusculum Lamina iudicii!"*

Suddenly, a double-bladed sword appeared above the two. One of the blades was comprised of ice and the other was bathed in flames. It began spinning, which distracted Saix long enough for Zexion to kick him off and summon the sword to his hand. Once the sword was in his possession Zexion looked at Saix and pointed the icy blade at him with a grim expression.

"Ego gerendis fatis; mihi credis misericordia digna vel damnatio?" Zexion advanced as Saix did.**

"Dude, you're making a huge mistake." Xigbar frowned as Saix summoned his claymore.

Then, the fiery blade burst and the icy blade dissolved into crystals. As the blades disappeared, leaving Zexion with the purple handle, two wolves appeared at his sides. Both howled and rushed for Saix, who swung in order to smack them away. The wolves merely faded where he had hit them and regenerated. He narrowed his eyes and swung again, only to have the process repeat itself. Then, the grey wolf with dark blue tribal designs and icy aura on its fur rushed in and bit Saix's neck while the black wolf with blood red tribal designs and fiery aura faded away.

The Diviner fell back as Zexion dismissed the reassembled sword, "You have been spared. Don't dare oppose me again. While, you may believe the wolves weren't a challenge, the next time you face Judgment will not be kind."

Xigbar cleared his throat, "It seems like our contact left already."

"They left already? Damn it…" Zexion pushed his glasses up so they covered his eyes.

"Who exactly were we supposed to meet here?" Mickey looked confused.

Xigbar went to sit on the fountain as the Schemer replied, "A member of the Dawn faction. I'm guessing since we failed to meet up with them here, we'll have to go to the Phantom's Vigil."

"I'm guessing that isn't here." Riku stated.

Nodding, Zexion turned away, "That's where I live."

Sora rolled his eyes, "Is that place anything like Terminus? Ironically named or something?"

"No." Zexion replied grimly.

Xigbar stretched his arms, "At any rate, before we leave we might as well explain the situation to Supreme Commander Jackass and the Organization."

The Superior narrowed his eyes, "That would be appreciated, II, though I'd very much prefer not being called 'Supreme Commander Jackass'. Don't you think that's a bit…wordy?"

"Well, either I call you that or I could call you Mansex." Xemnas twitched and looked away.

Zexion pinched the bridge of his nose as Xigbar looked smug, "Supreme Commander Jackass it is then."

"We should get going to the ship now, Father. You may continue this discussion later." The slate haired Nobody began to leave.

Xigbar went to help Saix up on his feet, "Yeah, yeah. I know the drill, kiddo."

As the group gathered up to leave the place, Axel was still standing over at the entrance to the dance floor. Zexion looked over to the redhead and found he was dancing to 'Sexy and I Know It' by LMFAO. The Schemer twitched and marched over to Axel. Zexion grabbed his ear and dragged him away from the nightclub. A mumble of annoyance erupted from the Flurry's lips and the young man dragging him away merely ignored it and rolled his eyes.

"We have to get to the ship now, Axel." The redhead grumbled.

Zexion eyed him, "Couldn't we have waited until the song was over?"

"Once we're done, you can dance to your heart's content; this I promise you." Axel reluctantly nodded.

"Maybe you'll dance with me, Zex?" He received a glare.

The Flurry grinned even so, "C'mon, you need to loosen up once in a while, right?"

Zexion shrugged, "I'll consider it.  
>When we're done, I'll set up the ship's dance floor."<p>

"You'd really do that? Sounds awesome," The Schemer let Axel's ear go.

"_Maybe_ I'll set it up, Axel, _maybe_."

***-'Twilight Blade of Judgment!'**

****- 'I am the wielder of your fate; tell me, do you believe you deserve mercy or damnation?'**

**Axel: Ladies and gentlemen, Sexy is officially back!**

**Xemnas: Quiet yourself, VIII, I have a more important matter! _Supreme Commander Jackass? Mansex?_ I should bring this to court.**

**Zexion: We're on a _fanfiction site, _therefore fans are entitled to screw with our lives and _our names_.**

**Axel: So, I can call you Zexy?**

**Zexion: *Eye twitch***

**Dusk: Reviews please!**

**Xigbar: Where's the author, Dusk-man?**

**Dusk: *sweatdrops* Your nickname for me just doesn't work out... any way the author is out.**

**Xigbar: Out? Out where and why?**

**Dusk: I cannot disclose where the author is, but they're currently recovering.**

**Xigbar:...From what?**

**Dusk: Saix. Need I say more?**

**Xigbar: *Winces* Some serious shit must've gone down.**

**3-23-12: Edited due to Mickey having 'sworn'. **

**Xigbar: Don't doubt that he'll _really_ swear in later chapters. **

**Zexion: *facepalm***


	5. Understanding

**This is where the plot starts picking up. The first few chapters, for you who asked, are merely introductory. They were meant to give you a little insight as to how this Alternate Reality started and hint of a few plot points. Zexion, Xigbar and Sora's group had camped on the Altar of Naught (and other platforms) to get ready to go to Terminus (made-up world) and then to another world to prepare for war. **

**Zexion: As for the italicized speech between paragraphs, those are 'supposed' to relate to the title of the chapter.**

**Xigbar: *snicker* Then there was something mentioned about how King Mickey swore...depending on how you interpret how the sentences were previously phrased...the author became an ass and fixed it though. Poo you author, poo you. (Sora: Pooh?)**

**Mickey: Now allow me to explain the structure of the story so far. The 'Main Arc' the author will be trying to convey is centered around Zexion and the Organization. However, a keyblade war somehow pops up along with new villians, hinted romances and two OCs, out of the ones that are introduced, that don't necessarily belong to our dear author. **

**Shattered: When did I agree to hint romances? **

**Xigbar: *points at a stack of papers* You tend to work on this story at night, so sometimes the fandomness gets to your head. **

**Shattered: Ah motherfu- *Gets smacked twice***

**Zexion: *Whispers* Remember the rating, author. You only get to get away with things once. *Puts glove back on* Shall we move on? Go on, read and review.**

**Edited due to new information: 6-29-12**

Understanding – _"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." – Dale Carnegie_

By now, everyone had gathered in the lounge of the Organization jet. Xemnas rubbed his wrists, while Saix massaged the spot where the wolf bit him. Xigbar was glaring daggers at Lexaeus, which went unnoticed by the large man. Demyx was sprawled out on one side of the corner couch with Axel sitting on the arm while Marluxia and Larxene sat on the other side. Xaldin sat to Lexaeus's left and Vexen to his right and the three had been sitting on lounge chairs across from Xigbar with Luxord and Zexion at his sides. Xemnas and Saix were sitting on a couch that was on the right side of the ship's exit. Sora and the others had already retired to their rooms at this time.

"So…this 'Council' was created for the sole purpose of joining the key-bearers and whoever else is willing to fight from all sides to fight for order?" Vexen asked.

"That is correct." Zexion nodded as Xaldin opened his mouth to voice something else.

"Then there's another unorganized group that is against the Council?"

Xigbar watched as his son nodded once again, "Yes, they like to call themselves the House. In the battles I've participated in, I haven't had the chance to actually see one of their members, but I've heard rumors that one of them managed to cause the fall of three of the Council's bases."

Marluxia scoffed and Zexion turned his gaze onto the Assassin, "A well planned attack can do that to anything, right? I don't really see why you're making it sound so serious."

"They didn't have to send in any agents or have to step foot on the battlefield. I've heard the others say he simply uses raw mental power and I don't doubt that; I mean if I did… Whoever this guy is, they call him Six." Axel grinned despite the slight feeling of fear.

"Giving you a run for your money, eh Zex?" The Schemer rolled his eyes.

"Six managed to get entire complexes to burst into flames and then fall into the ground. He's dangerous and I hope I don't run into him in battle." Xigbar cleared his throat.

"I do hope you aren't planning on participating for the sake of the Council…I mean if you do, don't you plan on letting _me_ tag along?"

Zexion fell silent for a moment then shook his head, "No, I don't. You and the others will be brought to the planets of your choice after we meet with our contact at my home or with the Council. After all, don't you have to keep an eye on somebody?"

"I know that but…"

Zexion forced a relaxed expression on his features, "Is there anything else you have questions on?"

"Care to elaborate on what you had said earlier? You claimed that you and Xigbar had regained your hearts, partially." Xemnas spoke up and silently, the other Organization members thanked him for remembering to ask.

"Right, well that is somewhat complicated, but if you wish, I could condense the answer for you."

The Superior shrugged, "Feel free to tell the whole story, I just want some kind of explanation."

"Hm…" Zexion rubbed his chin for a second and then sighed, "It started once Axel had 'eliminated' Vexen. I managed to quickly portal to Vexen and switch him out with a copy, within a blink of an eye Vexen was sent to the Dragon's Tongue Restoration Chamber, or the Lobby. All I needed to do during my time at Castle Oblivion was closely pay attention to what happened to the others and react as quickly as I could. When I sensed Larxene battling Sora, I used an illusion to blend in with the background as she and the key-bearer fought. She began to fade away, so I implemented an old spell from the Lexicon to prevent her from doing so and also sent her to the Dragon's Tongue. This process also occurred when I rescued Lexaeus. Then I had moved on to save Marluxia under the guise of rose petals. Then it wasn't long before I was confronted by Riku. He defeated me in combat and I managed to open a Corridor back to the basement, but then was confronted by Axel and Repliku and ended up being drained of my life force. I had managed to perform another old spell from the Lexicon which would allow me to come back to life."

Before the Schemer could go on, Axel cleared his throat nervously, "Y-you don't hold any hard feelings for that incident, do you Zexy?"

"Call me Zexy again, and I might reconsider letting the incident slide and just kill you." Axel slunk down into his seat and gulped.

"Anyway…ah yes, then there was when Demyx fought Sora and was a bit difficult with Sora watching him fade. But, I managed to use his power over water as a guise in order to portal him to the Lobby and then tried resting there myself. So then I went to get Xaldin which proved to be very difficult. So, once again, I used the spell from the Lexicon. By then, I had realized the more I use the spell, the more I had made myself susceptible to fading. I resigned myself to that fact and kept on saving the rest of you. Another difficult save was Axel; the key-bearer knelt down next to him and stayed with him as he 'faded'. As the rest of you can guess, I used the spell again. Then, I had moved on to saving Xigbar, another use of the spell and I began getting ready to send him to the Lobby." Xigbar cleared his throat.

Zexion stopped telling his story, "What is it Father?"

"How about we skip the story and get to the point? I think you're putting poor Demyx to sleep."

The young man with the mullet narrowed his eyes, "No, you're not! I'm actually finding this interesting."

The Schemer rolled his eyes and then continued on, "He was severely wounded and noticed I was as well. So, Xigbar phased himself and me to the labs and we constructed this," Zexion held up his half of the cylinder by the triangular handle and Xigbar held his half up, "It was to combine our wounded bodies in order to have them repaired and train ourselves to become better at our skills. Since I had managed to find a spell that would slow the key-bearer and his friends down so we could train a while, we took that chance in a leisurely manner. We kept ourselves in merged form, Bazrio, and coordinated our minds to act as one."

"Within days, we managed to develop some form of telepathy and a father-son bond that sparked our hearts that lay dormant within us, just as Demyx once thought. It was an odd experience, regaining our hearts. But, before we could further investigate what it meant, Zexion and I had to rescue Luxord, Saix and Xemnas."

Zexion nodded, "Now we are here. That story took too long to be told…"

"It explains why we're still here…but I refuse to believe you have regained your hearts." The Superior stated.

The slate-haired Nobody narrowed his eyes and unbuttoned his dress shirt and the spot where there should've been a hole, nothing, there was skin. Xemnas frowned and felt around his own chest. He applied pressure to that area and felt an indent. Sighing and looking back up as Zexion fixed his dress shirt; Xemnas leaned further against the couch and turned his gaze to the ceiling.

"Is there any other way to spark our dormant hearts or is fusing together a necessity?" Saix queried as he stood up and stretched.

Zexion shook his head, "You must form some sort of bond with someone. But, I suppose that isn't necessary seeing as the Council is more than willing to grant you guys your hearts."

"A bond with someone?" Larxene questioned aloud, "What's the use of a heart when it only serves as a pain?"

Xigbar chuckled, "Funny that you would say that, I had hopes that maybe a heart would make you more receptive to my words," He got up and began walking to the rooms, "Either a bond out of familial love or that of a relationship, you'll get one. So here's a bond for ya, I'm your biological father…"

The Freeshooter walked out of the room, leaving a dumbstruck Larxene behind. She began blinking and then turned to Zexion, "I-is he _joking_ or something? Tell me he was _joking_."

"I'm afraid not, Sister. I am your half-brother. During our father's true lifetime, he had fallen for a woman with your looks. But, she had broken his heart saying it was a one night stand and left him only to find out about her pregnancy two days later. By that time, I was a year old and lived with her ex-husband; she had decided to go back to him. We lived with each other until your third birthday, where _my_ biological father was killed in an accident that caused our home to be set ablaze and Mother had decided to go to another world with you. Now, Father has developed an affinity for another person and also hoped that you'll accept him as a dad. That decision is entirely up to you, but do note that I will continue to refer to you as 'Sister' not to annoy you but because of our history."

Larxene took a moment to process this in her mind and then walked to her own room. Soon, the others began filing into their rooms one-by-one. Within three hours, only Marluxia and Zexion were left awake. The Schemer sighed and got up from his seat and hurriedly walked to the white door leading to the cockpit. Marluxia watched as he began to leave the room and then moved to stop Zexion.

"Wait," Marluxia had to slightly tilt his head up to look at Zexion now, "I…I'd like to apologize for my outburst earlier. Also, that I appreciate the fact you saved me even though I acted like a selfish, manipulative bastard towards you."

Zexion took his words in and noticed that Marluxia's tone of voice didn't hold any malice, "You're quite welcome, Marluxia. I couldn't let you get killed. I mean, it wouldn't be at all fair if I left you to die. Also, there's no reason for an apology; I reacted the same way upon hearing the news for the first time."

The Assassin nodded and began walking to his room. As Zexion entered the cockpit, his face was contorted in pain. He staggered to lean against the controls and then began coughing. _I'm glad that you've healed, Father. At least I know now that…_ Zexion muffled his coughs with his hand and then removed it to reveal splotches of blood. Then, his attire changed back to his Organization uniform. The blood splotches were now on his glove instead of his hand, and he pushed himself away from the controls in fear of leaving any traces of his coughing fit. _This has to end soon. The Council will pay…_ Soon the coughing stopped and Zexion was left lying in a small pool of blood. _Am…am I still bleeding? I still smell blood and…I can still taste it…_

_Your 'friends' could never understand the concept of futility._

_-Well, you will never understand loyalty, family or love.-_

Xigbar sat up in bed and blinked as he gazed out his window. _An endless sea of stars and some asteroids_, he observed as he proceeded to take a shower and get changed into his Organization clothes. He exited his room and went down the hallway to the dining room. Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, Xigbar placed it on top of a circle that was on the counter and then turned and walked towards the refrigerator. Taking a glance around the contents, he shrugged and picked up an apple from one of the fruit baskets that were lined on the center of the dining table. It was a rather large walnut dining table with ten chairs on the sides and two chairs at the ends. The kitchen had a redwood floor and the walls were painted grey with black stripes.

_So, we're headed to meet up with the Council and then we go off on our separate ways…_ Xigbar took a bite out of the apple and picked up his mug, now filled with coffee, and headed over to the cockpit. _Better not think of that just yet, I wonder if the others know where the kitchen is._ It took a few minutes to reach the lounge, but he found the time relaxing. _I have to wonder though…why would I eat an apple while drinking coffee? Another weird thing I do in the morning, I suppose. _He then entered the lounge, where Demyx and Larxene were talking. They seemed quite engaged in whatever they were talking about and he walked past them into the cockpit. Just as he entered, Zexion had moved to leave causing them both to stop.

"You've been up all night again? Did you at least get some sleep?" Xigbar asked as Zexion half-heartedly smiled at him.

The Schemer gently pushed past him, "Yeah, and I got enough sleep."

A frown crept up onto Xigbar's features as he took over the controls, "Whenever he says 'enough', why do I get the feeling that isn't the truth?"

_Because, you **know** it isn't._ A voice replied from the back of his head.

"What the hell? Where did that voice come from?" Xigbar swore to himself as he checked over the ship's status.

_You're a liar, so why do they **trust **you?_

_-You're a murderer and a traitor, why do they follow what they fight against?-_

Zexion was just halfway down the hallway when he was suddenly stopped by two arms wrapped around him, "Good morning, Brother."

A smile graced his lips as he turned to face Larxene, who had already let go of him, "Good morning to you too, Sister. Have you eaten yet?"

"No, neither of us has! We're hungry~~!" Demyx whined from behind the Nymph.

Larxene sighed and brought her left hand up to punch Demyx, whose face was conveniently placed over her shoulder, "I was going to ask him where the kitchen was you idiot!"

Zexion sighed and then motioned for them to follow him, "C'mon, I'll show you guys to the dining room."

"B-but we wanna know where the _kitchen_ is~~!" This earned Demyx another smack to the face.

Zexion sighed, "The dining room and the kitchen are the same thing here…well, either that or whoever made this ship was confused."

The three walked down the long hallway, soon having the other Organization members and Sora & Co. following them. They took a left turn and had entered the dining room. Demyx's stomach growled and he opened his mouth to complain, only to have Larxene smack him again. Zexion sighed wearily and then pointed over to some features in the room. Everyone's gaze followed to where he had pointed.

"Over there's the refrigerator, microwave's over there between those cupboards and underneath there is the stove. Cereal can be found over in the pantry, that's those doors next to the window over there and the coffee machine and toaster are built into the counters. Just put a mug on the circle on that counter and it'll be filled with coffee, and then you just insert bread into those slots over there."

Demyx rushed over to the pantry and Larxene sighed as she went to grab something from the fridge, "Thanks for the help, Brother."

Zexion nodded and then turned to leave only to bump into Lexaeus, "Aren't you going to eat, Zexion?"

From his place at the dining table, Riku could tell from Zexion's rigid posture that talking to the slightly taller Nobody was unnerving and listened in on his response, "I will eat in a few minutes. Need to run a maintenance check in the training room for later."

"I'll go with you." Lexaeus offered as he stepped aside to let Zexion through.

The slate haired Nobody dismissed the offer with a wave, "Unnecessary, I'll only be a minute or two."

Wearing a frown, Lexaeus watched as Zexion hurried out of the room and then went to get his own breakfast together. Riku finished eating his cereal and then turned his attention to Sora, who had been engrossed in this story he was telling to Kairi. Marluxia finished eating a piece of toast and then grabbed an orange from one of the fruit baskets. Excusing himself, the Assassin left the kitchen and went to the room across the hallway. Upon finding Zexion resting against the windowsill with his head down, Marluxia shrugged to himself. _Must've been a lucky guess_.

The pink haired man knelt down in front of Zexion, "Hey, Zexion? Zexion?"

A muffled voice sharply replied, "What do you want Marluxia?"

"Good morning to you too… Anyway, I brought you an orange to eat."

Zexion peeked up from behind his arm, "Thanks for thinking about me, but I'm not really hungry."

"Why not? Did something happen that upset you or something?" Marluxia moved to sit next to the Schemer.

"It—er—I-no, it doesn't matter, alright?" Zexion looked up at him with tired eyes, "It doesn't matter."

Marluxia urged him to speak, "If it was enough to disturb you, then it should matter. You can tell me what's wrong."

The Schemer sighed and shut his eyes, "It isn't that simple. Anyway, we should be landing near HQ soon."

"What happened to going to where you lived?" The Assassin let the other subject drop for now.

"I've decided against it. Once we land, we'll go see the Council and then you guys are free to go wherever you want to."

Silence fell over the two for a few minutes. The pink haired man began tossing the orange back and forth between his hands. Zexion gazed sadly at the ceiling, suddenly wishing he could cry. _No, not in front of anyone else. Your pain is not theirs, your sorrows are not important, you are part of the Council. You chose this in exchange for them; you are now to be deemed worthless in the eyes of those you have chosen to save._ The slate haired Nobody balled his hands up into fists and then got up. Marluxia got up as well and they left the training room and went to the lounge.

"Why are you following me?" Zexion asked as he hunched over and rested his head in his hands.

Marluxia shrugged, "To give you this orange. I'm not going to leave you alone until you've had at least a bite of this or maybe just take the orange."

The slate haired Nobody inwardly groaned, "Again I appreciate the fact that you're caring but…I am not hungry."

"Then hold on to the orange until you _are_ hungry. I need to go see if I can…work things out with Vexen." Marluxia placed the orange on the crystal table, got up from the corner couch and moved towards the hallway.

Zexion furrowed his brow, "Why the sudden change of heart? Before, I knew you to hate Vexen no matter what anyone else did…so why now?"

The Assassin paused for a moment and then responded, "If we're to part ways, then I'd like to think that maybe there's a chance for me to leave his company on sensible terms."

"Then I wish you luck in that venture." Once again, Zexion was left to his thoughts as he put the orange in one of his pockets.

A few moments later and the Schemer realized how alone he had felt and was soon to be. His chest tightened and he let out a choked sob. Zexion stifled his cries and hid his face in his arms. Red blotches were on his left sleeve and with each cry he felt a part of his heart fade. _Alone, you insignificant piece of shit, that's all you'll ever be. You were **never** wanted; that's why your mother left you! That's why you're joining us, you wanna feel like you matter, well lemme tell ya that won't happen here. You're a fucking Nobody for crying out loud. We don't like your kind, but we've made a deal and we'll hold our end of the bargain. _Suddenly, he felt someone sit down next to him and begin to awkwardly wrap an arm around his shoulders. Zexion flinched and the person drew their arm away for a moment, only to choose to wrap their arm around him once more and hug him.

He felt the person's breath on his ear, "Hush now, luv. You shouldn't cry now. There's no reason for crying."

The Schemer leaned into Luxord as he cried; although he was all grown up, he still had died young. His youth never did leave him completely. Zexion may have been mature enough to deal with things that adults could, he was still a child. A child who was tired of being left alone to deal with his problems. Then, he heard a soft whir of the door leading to the cockpit opening and footsteps of someone else sitting on his right.

Luxord let go of the Schemer and the other person held him and drew him close, "Why do you cry, my little Schemer? Tell me and I'll try to understand your pain."

"F-father…" Zexion kept weeping and hesitantly brought his face up from his arms, uncomfortable in his previous position.

A gasp left the lips of both the Freeshooter and the Gambler, but Xigbar was the one to speak up, "Why do you cry tears of blood, my dear little Schemer?"

"P-please…F-father…" The Schemer whimpered and wrapped his arms around Xigbar's torso.

"What is it, Zexion?" Xigbar urged while Luxord rubbed Zexion's back to try and help comfort him.

The slate haired young man muttered something and began crying harder, "You'll have to speak up for us to understand you, luv. What's wrong?"

Suddenly, the young man got up and wiped his face with his sleeve. He hurriedly walked away from them and then into his room. Pressing a button, he locked the door and curled up into a ball in one of the corners of his room. Zexion pulled out a stiletto with a jewel encrusted handle from his pocket and stared at his reflection. _I'm not emo… _He gripped the blade tightly and wiped away his tears with his left sleeve. _But, I like feeling pain…it helps me know that I **can** feel something other than faint emotions…so when the Council… _Throwing the stiletto across the room, he looked at his right hand. It now had two lines across the palm, an inch away from each other. _It ruined my glove…_ Zexion wiped away his tears and went to the windowsill and stared outside.

_I have to wonder about your sanity…_

Having stayed in the dining room talking with the others for an hour, Luxord excused himself from the table. Then, Marluxia walked through the door with a calm expression and calmly addressed Vexen. The scientist seemed to ready himself for some insults and opened his mouth to get a word in before the Neophyte did. Xaldin winced knowing this wouldn't end well and Luxord hurried to exit the room. Just before he left, Marluxia began apologizing to Vexen, which shocked the Nobodies that sat in the room.

"Good on you, mate." Luxord whispered his praise and then went down the hallway leading to the lounge.

But, as he neared the lounge the Gambler heard a sob, "What the bloody hell? Who's crying?"

Luxord moved closer to the doorway and looked to his left, no one was sitting on the couches there, but when he turned to look at the right, the Gambler was shocked. _Zexion's crying? He's actually crying?_ Luxord was perplexed by the thought and merely stood watching the Schemer cry. Snapping out of his daze, he strode over to Zexion's side and sat down on the couch. _Everyone cracks eventually. Even the seemingly emotionless Zexion, the Cloaked Schemer of Organization XIII has to have a breaking point._ The platinum blonde began to wrap his arm around the young Nobody, who had flinched.

"Zexion…" Luxord's voice was barely above a whisper, "What ails you, luv? Why do you flinch from help?"

And then, Luxord tried once more to wrap his arm around the Schemer. The second attempt was successful and the younger man seemed to be a little stiff under his touch. Bringing himself to Zexion a little, he lowered his head so his mouth hung over the Schemer's left ear. So, Luxord did what he thought would help the young man.

"Hush now, luv. You shouldn't cry now. There's no reason for crying." The other Nobody seemed to relax and then leaned into Luxord.

Slowly, the Schemer's cries seemed to get a bit louder as the two sat there. Luxord couldn't help but wonder what could've brought Zexion to tears. After all, the Gambler knew him to be one of the most stoic people within the Organization, and to see Zexion break… It seemed as if everything he thought he knew about the Schemer was false. Luxord didn't like the thought of not understanding the truth about his comrades, and was more than willing to bet most of the things he knew about the others were false as well. The whirring of the white door snapped him from his thoughts. Slowly, Xigbar walked out of the cockpit and looked between Luxord and Zexion. The Gambler motioned Xigbar to come closer to them.

Luxord removed his arm as the Freeshooter wrapped his own in its place, "Why do you cry, my little Schemer? Tell me and I'll try to understand your pain."

"F-father…" Zexion whimpered as he sobbed onto his sleeves and then looked up, causing both of the older Nobodies to gasp.

_By the Hearts' Mercy, he's crying blood!_ Luxord's eyes widened in shock as Xigbar furrowed his brow, "Why do you cry tears of blood, my dear little Schemer?"

"P-please…F-father…" Zexion whimpered once more as he wrapped his arms around Xigbar's torso.

Hesitantly, the Gambler of Fate began rubbing circles on Zexion's back as the Freeshooter spoke gently, "What is it, Zexion?"

The response was a feeble and incoherent whine turned into more sobbing and Luxord decided to speak up, "You'll have to speak up for us to understand you, luv. What's wrong?"

Suddenly, the Schemer got up from his seat and quickly walked away from the lounge. Xigbar got up to follow and Luxord kept sitting on the couch with a worried expression. _I beginning to feel like Xigbar and I are like parents…_ Moments later, after realizing what he has mentally stated Luxord felt flustered and got up from his seat, and headed to his room to lay down. _What the bloody hell am I thinking here?_ Before he entered his room, he looked down the hall to see Xigbar frantically knocking on his son's door. Luxord couldn't help but smile a bit due to Xigbar's forgetfulness and went over to speak with him.

"Xigbar, luv, don't you think that there's an easier way to get to him?" The Freeshooter paused and then looked away.

Luxord leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, "No…I don't really think so Lux…I'm too stressed out right now to think. Why the hell was he crying blood? _Blood_, Luxord, the essence of life was seeping from his eyes!"

Sighing, Luxord placed a hand on Xigbar's shoulder, "Although doing so would be an absolute invasion of privacy, don't you think phasing in the room is an easier and _discreet_ endeavor?"

A grateful smile graced Xigbar's lips and he placed a peck on Luxord's forehead, "Thanks man, I owe you one."

Dazedly nodding, Luxord walked back to his room flustered once again. _Bloody hell…that doesn't help my thoughts! Wait a minute…when did he get taller? _He sat down on a nearby recliner and rubbed his goatee. Soon becoming bored, Luxord went to lie down on his bed. However, that only led to him becoming restless as he kept thinking about what had transpired between him and Xigbar. Sighing, he summoned his deck of cards and began playing solitaire to pass the time and hopefully put his thoughts in a different direction.

_I don't understand how you know more about feelings than I do. You're a Nobody._

_-I just feel. I can feel a lot more compassion than you can in a lifetime.-_

_Don't test me, you reject._

Silently landing on the carpet behind Zexion, Xigbar approached him. The younger Nobody flinched as Xigbar tried to lay a hand on his shoulder. Sadly realizing that Zexion had officially shut him out from his thoughts, Xigbar phased out of the room and rested against the door. He slid down and just sat there looking at his hands. _Why is he pushing me away now? Did I do something to upset him?_ Xigbar sighed and trudged back to the cockpit.

Once inside, he began preparations for landing the ship. Oddly enough, it was becoming an increasingly challenging task. Perhaps it was because he knew that after they landed and the Council did as they promised Zexion, the Organization would leave. _That is unfair… the Council should at least give us a choice on whether or not we wish to fight._ Xigbar frowned and began lowering the ship's altitude.

_You will have nothing in the end._

_-You never had anything in the first place!-_

Taking a deep breath, Zexion exited his room and walked down the hallway. Stopping once he came across the door that stood between the dining and training rooms, he entered a passcode and went in. The Schemer ghosted his right hand over some controls and then gripped a lever. Zexion pulled it down; the lights clicked as they turned on and the floor began changing colors. Then, Zexion went across the room to the bar and began wiping the counter. Once that had been dealt with, he went up some stairs located to the side and entered the D.J.'s booth.

"There's still a lot more to be done than just cleaning the bar and turning on the dance floor…" Zexion's eyes scanned across the room, "Maybe I'll continue this after the Council meeting. We can all celebrate then…we can celebrate the fact that they'll get another day to live and cherish for the rest of their lives."

Then, he summoned a Portal and found himself in his room once again. _Time to get ready for the meeting; this'll be so much **fun **for all of us Nobodies…_ Zexion opened his closet and pulled out a grey robe, a crimson sash, a silver trimmed black cuirass and an armored sash that was thinner than the first. Removing his Organization coat revealed black cargo pants, a black tank top with a purple 'VI' on it, and gauze wrapped over his arms. An uncomfortable moment looking at the bandages later, the Schemer put on the cuirass and then the robe and gently tugged the fabric around his abdomen and then wrapped the crimson sash around his waist. On top of the sash, he put on the armored one and pulled on silver trimmed black gauntlets over the sleeves of his robe, along with the matching boots. Checking over himself, Zexion nodded in slight approval; he looked just as he should when going before his 'fellow' Council members. As long as his attire showed the insignia that was assigned to his faction, Zexion wouldn't be severely punished. A wolf's head was engraved onto the cuirass and a blue version was printed on the back of his robe. Then, he teleported to the lounge and ended up bumping into Xigbar; this caused Zexion to sigh inwardly.

"Good evening, Father. Are you ready to see the Council for yourself?" The older Nobody narrowed his eye and looked to the door.

"I don't trust these people. They put their judgment on you without even trying to solve this conflict peacefully…" Zexion groaned as the Freeshooter continued, "If anything funny happens I'm gonna-!"

Slightly twitching, the younger of the two raised a hand, "Calm yourself, I've heard a report about some new commanders and lieutenants so maybe it won't be as bad as my previous encounters with them." _Lie._

"As if! They would never even consider getting new people as leaders." Xigbar crossed his arms.

"Just let it go, Father. We can discuss this further once we meet up with them. This'll be everyone's first time seeing the Council after all, so you should at least **try** to leave a good first impression."

Xigbar grinned, "Oh, I'll be leaving something, but it won't be a good impression."

Raising an eyebrow, Zexion watched his father expectantly, "What exactly will you do?"

"I'm gonna leave them with a bunch of bruises and shit like that."

The others began filing into the lounge; most were yawning. But, it seemed that some were restless to get out of the ship. Sora kept glaring at the door and shifting his weight on his feet, Marluxia was chatting with Luxord about how this was intriguing and Larxene was juggling her knives. A sigh left Zexion's lips as he went to open the door and the outside was a barren wasteland. He was sure they were curious as to why they were here, except for King Mickey of course. The Schemer was certain that the mouse knew what this place was.

"Don't just stand there, let's get going. The Council doesn't like tardiness." _Nor do they like Nobodies…_

Zexion hopped out and began heading to a cliff. He was followed by Xigbar and then Vexen. Lexaeus had snapped to attention and quickly followed, then next was Riku and Kairi. Sora wasn't too far behind them, but he was speaking to Mickey. Marluxia hopped out behind them with Demyx in tow. Soon, everyone had caught up to the young man at the cliff.

The slate haired man spoke as he gestured to the canyon, "This'll be short and sweet, as long as you don't think about it. You're all going to zip-line down to that tower down there and then continue on to another tower that's just outside the HQ. I'll make sure you're all set, so don't worry. If you got a problem with this mode of transportation, be my guest and rappel down this cliff and you can meet up with the rest of us two days from now."

Sora raised his hand, "I don't see a cable or anything that'll help us do this."

The Nobody pointed to a platform that was on the side of the cliff, "We'll be heading down this ladder and then you'll all put on a harness and I'll tell you the basics of what you're going to be doing."

Riku looked at Sora and shrugged as the brunet groaned. Lexaeus followed after Zexion as he climbed down the ladder. Xigbar simply phased down to the platform and Larxene jumped down onto it. Xemnas sighed and used the ladder instead with Saix in tow. Vexen shifted on his feet and his eyes darted to the zip-line to Zexion before he too had climbed down.

Sora was reluctantly putting on a harness while Zexion was speaking, "As I said, you'll all have to wear a harness. Once you've got the harness on, you'll hook yourselves onto the pulley, push yourselves forward and then gravity should handle the rest. I'm going to have you guys go down in pairs since there's two cables. Sora and whoever else is ready, put on a helmet, hook up to the pulleys and then push yourselves away from the platform with both of your feet."

The brunet hooked up onto the pulley on the left while Riku hooked onto the one on the right. They looked at each other and nodded. Riku pushed off first and let out an excited yell. Sora groaned and pushed off after him, but let out a panicked yelp. Zexion attached two new pulleys on and then instructed the next two people to go, and then summoned his keyblades. He transformed them into a hover-cycle once again and headed down to the platform where Sora and Riku were waiting. The Schemer nodded to them in acknowledgement took the pulleys they used along with the pulleys that Axel and Demyx used. He flew back over to where the others were and attached two pulleys onto the cables and this process continued; Zexion decided to partner up with Marluxia because he had claimed that zip-lining was exhilarating enough for him to do it also.

_I would never have given them another chance; I don't understand why you did._

_-They needed one more chance.-_

As Zexion removed his harness, a young teen dressed in red armor with an orange armband came running up to him. The Nobody held up a hand as he finished removing his harness and the teen patiently waited. They exchanged a few words and then Zexion motioned the group to follow him and the guard. The guard motioned to her companions stationed on the wall and they activated the system that would open the gates. Zexion thanked her and continued walking.

"Hey, Zexion, where exactly are we going?" Marluxia asked as he gently pushed past the crowd.

The slate haired Nobody pointed to a small building, "See that building there? That's where the Council is."

Demyx raised an eyebrow, "How come all the other things we see is a bunch of tents?"

"Buildings will soon be constructed, but most of the 'soldiers' stationed here are temporary. They'll usually be sent somewhere else within three days." Vexen shuddered as Zexion replied.

"Seems a bit odd for things to be dealt with so quickly, and this place is a bit too warm for my liking." Axel snorted and slapped the scientist's back.

"This is so much better than dealing with you in that lobby. You're a walking freezer for crying out loud!"

Vexen glared at the Flurry and chose to become silent as the group neared the building. Xigbar crossed his arms and stopped to look at the four columns that stood in front of the building. A blue column lined with symbols written in black and red stood on the far left next to a red and orange column, which stood beside the entrance. To the right of the entrance was a black column with grey and purple designs with a brilliant white column embedded with jewels at its base standing next to it. Larxene traced a purple wolf design on the black column with her index finger and then looked to Zexion. Xaldin examined the brilliant white column with a look of contempt.

"This looks like it was made for a palace full of proud idiots. What is the meaning of these columns anyway; the jewels, designs, patterns and symbols?"

Zexion paused as he stood at the stone door, "Darkness, Dawn, Twilight and Light as you see from left to right. The columns are placed according to the faction's absolute equal. You'd think that Light and Darkness would be paired up together, however…the war has definitely proven otherwise."

Lexaeus raised an eyebrow, "You seem…tense when you speak of the subject."

"Is there something we need to know more about?" Xemnas wondered aloud.

"No, not really," Zexion lied as he held the door open for them.

_I should have dealt with the fools you care for so much._

_-If you laid a finger on them, I would have attacked you. If you went to strike them down, I would take the blow for them.-_

_Why would you do such a stupid thing?_

_-Why would you?-_

The group had descended some stairs and then entered a room made of marble. Crystals protruded from the floor to illuminate the large space and they could see more people walking and talking hurriedly. Zexion began walking to some large double doors and Marluxia quickly followed, with the others not too far behind. Demyx began to whine about how much walking they've done, only to have Larxene smack him while Xaldin and Lexaeus exchanged their views on the HQ so far. The walk to the doors seemed to take forever as Zexion and Xigbar went ahead to pull the doors open, but inside a scene began to unfold.

Vexen deadpanned, "What is that woman doing? If she keeps sneaking about, a guard might as well mistake her for one of our enemies."

The woman in question seemed to be wearing a blue body suit with a light grey collar. She had brown leather shoulder pads, with a small black cape with a red streak hanging down from her right and a white strap running diagonally across her chest with a small golden shield from the left shoulder pad. On her left arm was a black band with a golden square and black armor was on her legs, halfway up her thighs and then was connected to her crossed belts by white straps. Her feet were clad in white boots with sharp metal tips. A closer look and one could see her short black hair with some noticeable streaks of crimson in them.

"I do hope she doesn't do anything stupid…" Zexion muttered as he watched her approach a young man. The Nobody's face was plastered with mild amusement mixed with concern.

The young man that was soon to be taken by surprise had light brown, slightly spiked hair and had a large, layered metal pauldron on his left arm with a golden square on it. He had a short sleeved shirt that was light green trimmed with red and wore some sort of half-robe. The robe was white with orange flames at its ends and covered his right arm and then crossed over his chest to cover the front of his left knee; it didn't cover his right leg or the upper left of his body. He wore a white wristband with a small golden shield on his right with a fingerless black glove and a black glove that didn't cover his thumb on the left.

Axel's eyes twinkled, "Luxord, I betcha six hundred the guy's gonna get whooped by the lady."

"Challenge accepted, my fire-loving friend." Luxord shook hands with Axel.

It seemed that the young man was looking over some plans as the woman silently moved closer behind him. He stopped in his observations and put his head up, seeming to notice her presence. Once he dismissed his gut feeling, the woman jumped and gave him a roundhouse kick to the head. She smirked triumphantly as he went flying into the wall with a surprised yelp. Zexion rushed over to the scene as the exchange of munny jingled quietly in the background.

"ACK! Damn it Yuki, what the hell was that for?" The young man began yelling as he dusted himself off.

Yuki began laughing, "You heard what the others said, we need to be more attentive. That was your first test, and you failed. In short, you need to stop being an ignoramus."

The young man rubbed his head, "You didn't have to go off and kick my head…"

"Where's the fun in tapping your shoulder? Did I make poor little Weavel sad?" Yuki feigned concern as she held in her laughter.

Weavel glared daggers at Yuki and then focused his green and blue eyes on Zexion, "Uh…Yuki?"

"What is it now, Idiot?" The young woman's red and purple eyes focused on Weavel and then to Zexion, "…well shit."

The slate haired Nobody in front of them sighed, "Care to explain what the hell that was?"

Yuki rolled her eyes, "C'mon now, I was only having a little fun; no need to get angry."

"Says the woman who's got a loose hold on her temper," Weavel commented as he walked behind Zexion to avoid another kick from Yuki, "Anyway, you heading to the Council Chamber?"

Zexion nodded as he sidestepped out of Yuki's way, "WHY YOU LITTLE SON OF A-!"

Xigbar coughed, "Anyway, shouldn't we all get going if we're headed the same way?"

Everyone agreed on the suggestion and began walking down a hallway. Zexion stood between a seething Yuki and Weavel. The three talked as the Organization and Sora's group listened in on their conversation. The woman snapped her fingers and Weavel let out a girly shriek as his foot was lit aflame and then smashed by an ice lance.

The Nobody in-between the two groaned, "Both of you stop it this instant! Let's focus on more pleasant matters, so in essence Weavel, I'm telling you to shut your damn mouth."

"No point to change the subject," Yuki stated as she kicked open the Chamber doors.

_Why did everyone even consider letting **you** join?_

_-I'm not sure, but they let **you** join and take control of an **entire faction**. So, everything's fair.-_

As they entered the Chamber, everyone saw that three Council members were already waiting for them. A blue dog with oddly spiked fur on top of its head was sitting on a velvet pillow and a masked figure was sitting on a stone throne. The masked figure wore red armor with an orange band on their right arm and a short orange cape attached their right hip and belt. Their left arm was robotic and they wore dark brown boots with red trim and white pants. The third member was a woman with long, dark green locks that seemed to go past her shoulders and wore a silver circlet. She wore a solemn expression on her pretty features and her hazel eyes seemed to bear into one's soul. The woman wore a gold silk gown that parted to show her light brown pants and knee-high white leather boots. She regarded the group with a curt nod and then sat down on a stone throne. Zexion went to stand in the middle of the room as Yuki went to sit on a throne beside the dog's pillow and Weavel sat on a lesser throne beside the masked figure.

"It has been awhile since we last saw each other, hasn't it _Cur._" The masked figure's distorted voice was laced with venom.

Weavel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Master Alaryn, please show a little respect."

"Nonsense, Lieutenant Lonestar! I'll show respect to this _Nobody_ when King Mickey dies."

"That's impossible…the King is practically immortal." Weavel countered.

Alaryn nodded as he leaned back into his throne, "Exactly my point, Lieutenant."

The green haired woman cleared her throat while Zexion glared daggers at Alaryn, "Master Alaryn, Lieutenant Lonestar, I suggest you both quiet down. We've unfinished business here, and I'd like to get back to oversee the soldiers' training. They've been slacking a lot."

Zexion scoffed, "Perhaps it is your poor leadership that drives them to ignore their duties."

Suddenly the blue dog stood up and snarled, "Hold your tongue _Nobody_; else I tear out that throat of yours. No one dares insult Lady Simone!" Yuki began petting the dog to try and calm him down.

"Master Kayrn, you could always take your frustration out on Weavel. He doesn't mind being bit and scratched a few times." Weavel glared at her from across the room.

"LIKE HELL I DO!" Alaryn put his hands over his 'face'.

"How about we all take a deep breath and then discuss this in a more civil manner?" Zexion suggested as he shifted on his feet, "I'll even be the first to start; Lady Simone, I apologize for my rude comment on your leadership. You deserve respect for all your hard work."

Simone nodded in acknowledgement with a slightly relaxed expression. She looked to Alaryn expectantly as he shook his head. Weavel's gaze darted from Yuki to Alaryn and he rubbed his temples in frustration. Reluctantly, Alaryn turned his head to Zexion and cleared his throat.

"M-master Zexion, I…I apologize for referring to you as a cur." Simone's gaze fell on Weavel and then to Yuki.

"Lieutenant Tomoe, if you would kindly apologize to Lieutenant Lonestar?" The short haired woman scoffed.

"Not my fault he's an idiot…" Weavel rose from his seat to yell back at her, but a glare from Simone compelled him to sit back down.

"Very well then, if that is how you two shall act… Master Zexion, what can you report to us?"

The Nobody shuffled uncomfortably on his feet, "Unfortunately, I was unable to meet up with the informant, but I have saved the Organization despite most of your doubts. We made a deal, and I hope you would do well to hold onto your words."

Simone nodded, "I…I see, very well then. The Council shall grant the Organization their hearts in exchange for…"

Alaryn arose from his throne and approached Zexion, "Lady Simone, we all agreed I would handle with this part of the deal. The price you'll pay…"

Alaryn put his robotic hand against Zexion's chest and then set the Nobody aflame. Zexion let out a scream in surprise and Xigbar moved to help him, but found himself incapable of moving from his spot. Then, Zexion was dragged out of the Chamber by Alaryn as Simone got onto her feet and Kayrn sat up from his pillow. They summoned their keyblades; Kayrn held a double-bladed keyblade with an oddly spiked wooden blade and a curved blade that had a pickaxe shaped end, while Simone held a short, curved blade surrounded by light blue rings with golden chains hanging down from them.

"Be blessed by the Light…"Simone began as he lifted her keyblade over her head.

Kayrn bowed his head low, "Be freed from your bonds of Darkness…"

"Become reborn in the eyes of the Council and live renewed in the Twilight!" The two shouted and the room became consumed in a light green aura.

Not too long after the aura cleared out of the room, Alaryn barged back into the Chamber. Zexion stumbled in beside him, without his robe and armor, save for the boots. The Nobody knelt in the middle of the room with only his tank top, cargo pants and bandages. Alaryn kicked Zexion's back so that he was lying face down on the ground. He raised his robotic arm up and then clawed away the tank top and bloodstained bandages. Zexion struggled to stand back up and Alaryn held his cold, clawed hand against the Nobody's shoulder. There were no marks on his body so everyone seemed to be holding their breaths for an explanation.

"Zexion, drop this illusion." Alaryn hissed as he pressed a claw against Zexion's shoulder.

The Nobody raised an eyebrow at him, "W-what…illusion…M-master Alaryn?"

"You struggle with your words. Reveal to the Council and your _friends_ the price you've paid."

Simone glared at Alaryn, "What do you think you're doing? This is nonsense."

"NO! This is what _justice_ is! Zexion, drop your illusion!" He struck the Nobody down with a swipe of his hand.

Xigbar struggled to take a step forward, "ZEXION!"

Suddenly, a grey light emitted from Zexion's body and then wounds appeared on his upper body. Alaryn laughed and then forced the Nobody back onto his feet. Zexion's torso had a gash starting from his midsection, over his right shoulder and stopped somewhere along his spine; there were other lacerations on his sides that nearly touched the larger gash. There were gashes on his upper right arm and his left arm was badly bruised and cut up. Alaryn brushed aside Zexion's bangs and two cuts could be found there; one started from Zexion's cheek and ended just a little above the bridge of his nose and then the other could be traced to the right corner of his forehead to his eye, where both cuts crossed.

"Now, tell the Council and our guests what you did to deserve these wounds." Zexion gripped his left shoulder, where Alaryn had scratched.

"I told you already…" Zexion said through clenched teeth, "I saved the Organization."

Alaryn tilted his head to the side as he circled the Nobody, like a vulture would to a corpse, "Oh, is that truly all that caused such wounds?"

"Riku and Repliku bruised me, sure, but these wounds were inflicted by…a…power…of one…_much_ greater than me…" Zexion struggled with his words then staggered and fell forward as he began coughing up even more blood.

Alaryn laughed darkly and then looked to the Council and then to where their guests stood, "This is what all you Nobodies truly deserve! This is justice; this is the power of the Dawn!" Simone pointed her keyblade at Alaryn.

"You've gone too far, Alaryn! Kayrn, apprehend Alaryn while I bring Zexion to the healers! This meeting is dismissed."

_Your resolve will be your downfall._

_-Your pride shall always be yours.-_

Marluxia twiddled his thumbs as he watched Xigbar pace around the front of the tent. Luxord and Demyx were playing a game of cards to take their minds off the situation for a moment. Larxene was throwing her kunai into one of the nearby crates, pretending that it was Alaryn. Xigbar would occasionally pause and then look at the tent flaps, but then continue to pace. Narrowing his eyes, Marluxia got up from his seat on the barrel and then silently entered the tent.

"We need to know he's at least doing alright…" He whispered as he stuck to the shadows to move about.

Inside the tent was crowded with supplies, nurses, doctors and patients. If his hair wasn't so brightly colored, Marluxia would be able to get past them a lot easier. Shaking off his annoyance at his hair, he stopped in front of another section of the tent that was closed off by another set of tent flaps. The Assassin entered the section and then found who he was looking for; Zexion. The Schemer looked pale compared to the white sheets of his bed despite the fact his bandages were stained with blood. Bandages were wrapped all around his upper body and covering his mouth and nose was an oxygen mask. Marluxia frowned and then summoned a rose to his hand, and placed it onto the table next to Zexion's bed.

"Stay alive, your family is worried. Larxene's practically bitching at all of the Dawn faction's members and Xigbar can't stop worrying about you. But, don't worry, Demyx has been trying to talk Larxene into calming down and she has, amazingly enough… Luxord has offered to be the shoulder that Xigbar can lean on, but Xigbar hasn't really _wanted_ to rest. All the while, I…I am…" Marluxia paused and thought to himself. What _was_ he doing there among those that waited outside the tent? Did he care about the Schemer for some reason? _He nearly lost his life in exchange for our hearts. Of course I care damn it._ "I'm here to check up on you when the others can't. My skills as an assassin shouldn't be wasted, after all."

Slowly, Zexion's eyes opened and met Marluxia's gaze as he stiffly removed the oxygen mask, "Thank you…however…there's no real need for you…to worry…over me…"

"By the Hearts, how can you even say such a thing?" Marluxia carefully sat on the side of the bed, "_Everyone_ is worried. Xaldin has taken to playing pin the spear in the Dawn members, Vexen's making his own winter wonderland within five feet of his person, Lexaeus nearly tore down the Council building, and even Xemnas is showing his version of concern."

"Xemnas and concern…are never…used in the same sentence…" Zexion muttered.

The pink haired man beside him shrugged, "Hell, Saix seems to be at edge more often than not now too…and Axel set one of the Dawn's tents on fire."

Zexion swung his legs over the other side of his bed, "Then…let me alleviate…them of their worries. Maybe if I…make an appearance…" Marluxia gripped his shoulder.

"You won't stop them from worrying if they see you up and about with your wounds. All they want to know is if you're breathing—and hopefully, recovering—during your stay in the healers' tent."

The other Nobody tensed and sighed. Once again, dark blue clashed with sky blue and then Zexion lay back down on his bed. Marluxia patted Zexion's arm reassuringly and then sneaked back out of the tent. He felt Xigbar's curious gaze on him and then he told the Freeshooter of how Zexion was holding up.

"Xigbar, I know we haven't been on the greatest of terms, although _you_ were the one who recruited me, but I'm becoming more concerned about you and Zexion as the night rolls by. Perhaps we should stay here at the HQ and help Zexion with the Council." Larxene jumped into the conversation.

The blonde nodded as she slammed her hand into her palm, "Mar-Mar is right! We can't just leave my brother here with a bunch of assholes; Dad, we should do something!"

Xigbar regarded their suggestion with a nod, "That damned Council is at fault here; especially those guys in charge of the Dawn. We'll request another meeting with those bastards, first thing in the morning. Everything else…" He looked to the tent and then back to the two in front of him, "I may not understand how these people work, but they're hurting my son and threatening to hurt my daughter and the Organization too. They won't push this matter aside. I won't let them have the chance!"

**Axel: Now, dear readers, the author will soon provide a better description for the story either on they're profile or in one of these chapter notes.**

**Larxene: Pay attention, or maybe you'll never find out some things that have a few...holes in them.**

**Demyx: Review please!**

**Xigbar: ...Damned Council! They're gonna pay.**

**6-29-12:**

**New info means different dialogue. So remember when Riku feels that explosion in Castle Oblivion? I believe that to have been Marluxia, so in terms of elimination, Zexion was the last to go.**

**Zexion: So kind of you to think so.**

**It's a good thing right? ^.^"**

**Zexion: You are a Hearts-damned idiot.**

** You're mean...**


	6. Pain

**I am finally posting once again! You wouldn't believe how much (*cough* poor *cough*) planning went into writing this story. Oh and the whole 'Main Arc' thingy mentioned before...ignore that-then again -.- you might not even be paying attention to this so...**

**Demyx: Show time! *Summons Arpeggio***

**Zexion: *facepalm* No Dem, that doesn't mean you get to sing that song of yours.**

**Demyx: Aw...**

**Larxene: When will the explanation for why I accepted my family come up?**

**In time, Larxene, in time. I just need to...improve my writing skills a bit.**

**Xemnas: A bit? Don't you mean a _lot_?**

**-_- I _could_ very well turn you into a princess, Xemnas.**

**Xemnas: -.- Who hasn't?**

**Xigbar: Are readers reading this note still? Get to READING!**

**Marluxia: *Gasp* Xigbar is encouraging others to read! VEXEN DID YOU FREEZE HELL OVER?**

**Vexen: No. Demyx watered it down for a bit.**

**Marluxia: Oh.**

Pain – _"I've felt pain numerous times, most of it caused by you. Every time, I've found myself enduring it all just to participate in battles to protect **them**. No matter what happens to me because of that decision."_

Zexion tossed and turned restlessly in his bed. The yesterday's events were definitely what he had expected from the Council, but to reveal his wounds was too far. The Schemer sighed and sat up, looking up into the darkness that surrounded him. Silently, he got up and made his way out of the tent. He was sure to avoid members all factions, knowing Simone, she would've ordered them to watch out for him. Zexion stuck to the shadows, using his powers as an illusionist to keep himself hidden amongst the busy crowds. It seemed to take hours just to make it to the Plaza.

The last time he'd seen the Plaza was at least a year ago. Back then, he was stationed at Castle Oblivion and hated nearly every minute of it. Shaking himself of that thought, Zexion focused his eyes onto the scenery as he always did; at the center of the Plaza was a fountain. The fountain was made of granite and had three thin pillars of water surrounding a statue that represented the factions. A lion perched on some heightened platform holding a sword in its mouth and a sword under its left paw represented the Dawn and Darkness factions and their supposed equality and rivalry as the Council believes. Then a wall separated the lion figure from the wolf. It was made of amethyst and wore a sapphire necklace. The wolf itself was the representation of the Twilight faction, the jewels signified the Light.

"Now that I think about it, doesn't this fountain tend to change whenever there's a shift in the factions' power?" Zexion wondered aloud to himself as he continued walking in the shadows of the Plaza.

He passed by two members of the Twilight faction. One of them wore the traditional black and silver trimmed armor while the other had a silver cuirass, gloves and white pants with purple boots over black chainmail with a red scarf as an accessory. They seemed to pass by the Nobody in slow-motion, talking and laughing joyously. Zexion sighed as he admitted it to himself that he envied them and their ability to enjoy themselves. The only thing that the Schemer was allowed was pain and regret.

Minutes turned into hours as the slate haired Nobody walked through the Plaza. By the time he had reached the end of the Plaza it had become evening. _All that time spent admiring the scenery and slightly envying others… Now even the Organization can feel, even more so than I ever could._ Sighing, Zexion approached old, stone stairs built into a hill. He knew that these stairs led to a view that allowed almost every part of the vast complex to be seen. He even knew all of the 'districts', there was: the Plaza, Tactical Center, Council Residence, Council Building, Remedial Center, the Reception and four areas where the factions' main armies have been based. Starting from the north was the Twilight, in the east lay the Darkness; the south held the Dawn and the west had the Light.

"Might as well head back to base camp…but I wonder if that rumor about Father calling on the Council for a meeting was true…" Zexion turned away from the hill, Watcher's Eye.

He headed to a nearby transport station and took one of the motorcycles there. Zexion sped along the paths paved for motorized travel and looked at the built in radar on the motorcycle. It read that he was west of the Twilight faction's base camp, codenamed Fenrir. Sighing heavily, the Nobody accelerated and moved onto a path leading northeast.

_So, you dwell forever in pain? I admire your perseverance, but laugh at your reasons._

Yuki leaned back into her throne as Master Kayrn paced around, eyes slightly burning an eerie green. She sighed as she let her thoughts take her away from the matter at hand. Suddenly, green and blue eyes clashed with her red and violet eyes from far away. Weavel offered her a meek wave of greeting, which was returned with an annoyed look. The young woman then settled on the task of petting Kayrn's head to calm him down.

The dog snarled; eyes releasing green flames as the door swung open, "Well, well, it seems our guests have finally made their appearance at the meeting _they_ requested."

Weavel cleared his throat, "At least three of them did anyhow."

As the brunet spoke, three pairs of footsteps could be heard approaching the center of the room. Xemnas stood tall between Xigbar and Larxene as Simone scrutinized them from afar. The green haired woman sighed heavily and then looked to the empty throne beside Weavel. Kayrn sat on his haunches with a look of contempt as Yuki focused in on the Nobodies. A groan passed Weavel's lips once he realized what the Nobodies were here for.

"Lady Simone and other members of this 'Council', I'd like to address something that concerns us Nobodies greatly," Xemnas started as his orange eyes passed over the four figures in the room.

"Should we really argue over this?" Kayrn interjected, "Alaryn was already sent to the Penitentiary."

Xigbar furrowed his brow, "Don't you dare brush this off as some inconvenience to _you_!"

"Both of you stop it this instant!" Simone snapped and then looked to Xemnas condescendingly, "Continue with your reasons for this meeting or we shall soon be dismissed.'

Xemnas nodded, glaring with such intensity that matched her sneer, "We demand reasons for everything that transpired the other night. One of my former colleagues now rests in a tent in the Remedial Center because of what the leader of the Dawn faction did."

"Now, I think we can discuss this civilly, right? Master Alaryn has been acting…odd lately, I'll admit that but… Let's put it this way, he wasn't really sorted well in his mind to begin with, so the things he had said weren't entirely true." Weavel insisted on his general's behalf.

Electricity crackled as Larxene summoned one of her kunai, "He sounded pretty sane, in a sickening way, to me! How can you defend someone who almost killed another member of the Council?"

Yuki made a gesture with her hand as if she were briefly offering something, "Simple, we as a Council had agreed on a deal that resulted in Master Zexion's unfortunate torture."

The lieutenant of the Dawn faction looked at her incredulously, "Oh, so you call Master Zexion's torture unfortunate, but mine is 'a reward for my stupidity'?"

"There's a difference, Idiot. _You_ actually **deserve** to be whacked upside the head." Yuki defended as she crossed her arms.

Rolling his eyes, Xemnas began pacing the room. Larxene dismissed her kunai as Kayrn laid back down on his pillow. Simone began rubbing her temples and sighed in frustration. Beads of sweat ran down Weavel's forehead as he narrowed his eyes at the three Nobodies; he didn't have anything against them, he supported every single decision Zexion had made, but to be blamed for what his commanding officer did proves to be frustrating. The brunet stood from his seat and made gestures as he spoke.

"Look, I know you are all angry. But being angry at _me_ doesn't make anything better! I didn't have _anything_ to do with what Master Zexion went through. Master Alaryn acted on his own with his own intentions in mind!" Xemnas stopped pacing and looked at the young man.

His orange eyes scanned over the other Council members before looking back to Weavel, "What do you mean 'his own intentions in mind'?"

"That's enough, this meeting is dismissed!" Simone exclaimed and then dusted herself off as she stood, "I suggest you all drop this matter and return to your duties. Immediately," Her hazel eyes bore into everyone as she left the Chamber.

Weavel looked to the Nobodies and then left the Chamber with Kayrn and Yuki in tow. Xigbar let out a frustrated yell as he turned to leave. The Superior sighed and slowly followed as Larxene threw one of her kunai at Simone's throne. _That bitch is hiding something very important from us…_

_Your pain, everything you endure it is for them, correct?_

A decelerating engine could be heard as Fenrir's gates came into view. Its gates loomed over the figure as it moved closer to them. On Fenrir's gates was a purple and blue wolf head and beside the gates stood two large towers that held searchlights and many defense mechanisms. The figure stopped and then laid a hand onto the black metal gates and turned to the side. It opened a panel and then had its eyes and hand scanned. Slowly, the large gates parted and revealed a large fortress made of silver.

Two guards jogged up to the figure, but it pushed past them with ease. Shaking his head, the senior out of the two directed his subordinate to bring in the motorcycle and then followed after the figure. _Damn it to hell…_ Unfortunately, being so short, the guard had to jog to keep up with the fast walking figure. Finally, the figure had stopped at the doors of the fortress and the guard had time to catch his breath.

"E-excuse me…s-sir, do you…have clearance to…b-be in this area?" The guard huffed out.

Slowly the figure turned to face him and nodded, "Of course I do."

The guard suddenly snapped and stood up straight and saluted the figure by laying his right arm across his chest with a fist lying on top of his heart, "L-Lieutenant! I had no idea you were planning a visit!"

Green and blue eyes filled with mirth just looked back at the guard, "You know me, Captain Cale, I tend to appear uninvited—."

"But prepared; as always of course," Capt. Cale nodded as he brushed off his visor.

"I always wonder why you wear that helmet. I mean, I've never actually seen your face before."

Capt. Cale shrugged, "Are you here to see the Organization?"

Weavel frowned as he removed his hood, "You avoid my question, Cale."

"While you avoid mine and continue to annoy me, Lieutenant; look, I just need to know whether or not you're here to see the Organization." The taller of the two groaned inwardly and then nodded.

The captain sighed as Weavel entered the fortress, "I'll remember to bother you later about the helmet thing!"

"I doubt you'll even remember to try," Cale left and entered another part of the fortress with his subordinate in tow.

_Let it consume you, then, until it swallows your very being!_

_-Physical pain is nothing compared to what you have done.-_

_Oh, and what would that be?_

_-You claim to know so much, yet in reality you know so little. You'll find out another time.-_

Zexion paced around the lobby in the fortress of Fenrir and stopped to lean against one of the fountains that were built into the sides of the room. He took a deep, shaky breath as he looked at his reflection. The bloodied gauze had long been removed and Zexion took in the sight of the gashes and purple splotches of skin. Placing his right palm against his chest, the Nobody spoke.

"Integumento haec vulnera et me videtur intactus.*" A grey light briefly enveloped him and the wounds disappeared once again.

The young man slipped on his tank top and then his chest plate. Turning around, he put on his robe and gauntlets. Relaxing his features, Zexion raised a hand to greet the person just entering the fortress. A cobalt eye met with green and blue ones as the latter slowly approached. Standing before the Schemer was the second-in-command of the Dawn, the faction Zexion almost completely hated now.

"Look at who decided to stop by, Weavel! Might I ask what business you have here?" The brunet shuffled and tried to look the Schemer directly in the eye once more.

"Look, Master Zexion, I'm very sorry about what had happened. But, I wasn't fully aware of what Alaryn had planned." He huffed and briefly looked to the side, before slightly turning his head to see the other person who had entered the lobby.

Wearing a grin with eyes that glinted with mischief was Lieutenant Yuki Tomeo, "Am I late to crash your party?"

Zexion shook his head, "There wasn't even one to be had in the first place."

"I see, so is Weavel here bothering you or something?" Yuki paused and then took another look at Zexion, "Wait a minute, Master Zexion, shouldn't you be in the Remedial Center?"

Weavel smacked his forehead, "Of course, I knew something was up! Why _aren't_ you at the Remedial Center?"

The Nobody sighed as Yuki smacked the back of Weavel's head and then answered, "They let me out a bit early. I mean, recovery went quickly so I was able to come here."

Yuki looked skeptical as Weavel grinned, "Great, now that's out of the way, can we go see the rest of the Organization?"

"They should all be in the Forum, follow me." Zexion walked over to the elevator.

Weavel jogged over there as Yuki teleported there in a flash. The slate haired man had already been holding the door open and then followed them in. Pressing the button for the fourth floor, the trio stood in the elevator in silence. At least they did until Zexion decided to break the silence with a single question.

"So, when did the Council assign new lieutenants?" Both Yuki and Weavel looked to each other for an answer.

"Well…" Yuki trailed off for a moment as she stepped out of the elevator, "I don't really know where to start explaining."

Zexion nodded and stepped out as well with Weavel in tow, "Your predecessors were among the best of us, no offense. But, they really understood the gravity of our situations and how to handle the armies; those two could've taken control over their respective factions."

"Well what makes you think we don't understand anything or know how to handle our faction?" Yuki questioned, albeit a bit heatedly despite her calm appearance.

"I'm not trying to be a jackass, but honestly, do you two really know the…'core' of the Council?"

Both Weavel and Yuki shook their heads as the trio walked closer to the door leading into the Forum. The slate haired Nobody sighed and then leaned against the wall. Slowly taking in the Lieutenants' presence, Zexion crossed his arms and shut his eyes. Once again, he began to speak.

"No matter how many times you two say otherwise, you'll never truly understand. All you do is listen to your superiors, but still choose to go along with me. You refuse to even consider the point of having a Council at all." Yuki narrowed her eyes at that.

She slowly gestured her arm around her as she spoke, "Without the Council, the worlds would have no leaders against those who plan to bring them into true Darkness and everything here wouldn't exist. I may sound like a hypocrite, but to live in the Darkness is a terrible thing; I'm sure you believe the same."

"They unify everyone, every being from almost every faction that is willing to fight against this threat of complete destruction." Weavel added in, "If there was no Council, there'd be no way to combat our enemies; no way to survive."

A somber chuckle left Zexion's lips, "So, you two really believe the Council that is in power…is absolutely necessary?"

Yuki wore a confused expression as she nodded, "Why? Do you have something to say against them?"

"In order to _be_ unified, we must **act** unified. To win this war, we must rely on each other's actions not every single word that leaves our mouths. To truly represent our factions and those we strive to protect, should we not include _more_ voices to the Chamber instead of the **five** we have now?" Zexion replied, opening his eyes.

"Five voices…you forgot to count somebody." Weavel commented.

The Schemer's actions reflected his voice; somber and pained, "I forgot _nobody_, Lieutenant."

Before either of the Lieutenants could respond to that, Zexion swung open the door to the Forum. His presence was greeted with strange looks, surprised gasps and a hug, which was more like a tackle. When Yuki and Weavel went in, they were also greeted with strange looks. Carefully stepping around Zexion, Weavel sat to the left of the end chair and Yuki sat down next to him. The room was still filled with stunned silence, until Xemnas spoke.

"What are you all doing here? Last I checked, Zexion was resting and you Lieutenants aren't supposed to be here."

Struggling out of Demyx's death grip, Zexion got up and dusted himself off, "I recovered quickly, and Lieutenants Yuki and Weavel felt the need to help enlighten all of you of your many questions."

_I can relate to feeling the pain that you feel, and such pain can only go away as long as you give in._

From all around, the sounds of marching and orders being given could be heard, along with the soft sound of falling rain. In the distance there were rolls of thunder and flashes of lightning. His small cape strapped to his hip fluttering, the Commander of the Dawn paced in his cell. Nearby was a young guard from the Light faction, noisily snoring the night away. Alaryn shook his head at the guard and continued to pace until footsteps approached the bars of his cell door. Recognizing them, the keyblade master snapped to attention and turned to his visitor.

"You went too far this time?" The visitor made it seem more like a statement than a question.

Alaryn nodded and placed a hand over his visor, "Damn chienne* in charge sided with…with Ce petit morceau de merde*!"

Chuckling, the visitor put up a hand, "Last I checked, Alaryn, you weren't French."

"Va te faire foutre, vous ne me connaissez pas!*" Alaryn threw one of his arms up, "I grew up in a French community."

"Вы не должны быть настолько груб… * I meant no offense, it just seems to me that you're acting a lot differently now." The visitor took a seat on top of a nearby crate.

"Désolé*, but all this pressure in the Council is getting to me."

The visitor shook their head, "This should be put aside immediately; you've got to get back on the Council's good side. And remember, Сохранить контроль над собой, пока бой.*"

"How do you suggest I do that? Le Conseil est rempli avec des ânes têtus.*" His visitor's eyes glinted and then began to leave.

Alaryn called out for his visitor to stop and explain; the visitor did so, "I shall leave what you'll need in your tent. We'll see each other once again, the night before the operation is put into action."

The Commander nodded and then began pacing once more, "I must plan on how to make my approach."

_-I wonder what wounds you more: the loss of pride or the loss of friends?-_

_I cannot lose what I don't have._

_-That says much more than what you intended. You pride yourself on trivial items, yet those who help you…-_

_Enough of this, who's asking the questions here anyway?_

Yuki cleared her throat, "Now, I'm sure you're all wondering on why _most_ of your powers don't work."

She received many nods in reply, "There's a reason for that. You see, the Council built an impulse generator to negate the powers of those who don't have authorization to use them."

Larxene raised an eyebrow, "But some of us have been able to summon our weapons."

"But are you able to summon portals?" Yuki got a handful of shaking heads as a reply, "Sure, you are allowed to summon your weapons, but there are restrictions in doing so and each restriction is different for each person."

Xigbar piped up, "For example, I can summon my Arrowguns, but they're only for show as long as I'm within Headquarters. Not to mention I can only phase five feet away from my current spot…not as far as I usually can."

"Now that you point that out…I've noticed that I can't really control my lances as much as before…" Xaldin commented.

"Lucky you, my scythe can only release showers of rose petals instead of the deadly waves it's supposed to." Larxene patted Marluxia's shoulder.

Axel snickered, "Isn't it _supposed _to shower people in the 'deadly' scent of roses, flower-boy?"

"Watch what you say, **hothead**!" The Assassin spat.

Zexion rubbed his temples, "Both of you should stop fighting now before it gets ugly later."

Demyx smirked and leaned closer to Larxene, "Just like how Vexen couldn't stop being such a nag when he was younger; he got ugly later in life."

The blonde next to him smirked and tried to hide a giggle, "Later in life, Dem? I thought he was born that way."

Both let out stifled laughter that almost went completely unnoticed. Across from the two sat Xaldin, who was also grinning at their exchange. Lexaeus let out an exasperated sigh and showed his disapproval through a frown. Not too long after, Zexion exhaled sharply and then put his hand up in the air. Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop as the slate haired Nobody formed a fist with his right hand. Once he twisted it around, everyone became silent.

"That is enough out of all of you." Zexion started slowly, "We have much to discuss, and becoming sidetracked is hardly the smartest thing to do now."

Pulling his hand back down, Zexion let Yuki start to speak once more, "The last things that we must go over are the organization of the divisions and then who is to be Master Zexion's lieutenant."

"Oh yay, the fun part of the lecture," Weavel stated sarcastically.

**_Smack!_ **"No one asked for your opinion, Idiot!" Yuki was holding up a paper fan up as Weavel was nursing his bruised forehead.

"What kind of paper fan is that?" The woman next to him smirked as she began to reply.

"I made it with the help of some friends of mine. A thousand special papers folded neatly into this single paper fan."

An incredulous look was on the Dawn Lieutenant's features, "A thousand papers?"

"It's useful against idiots, specifically you." Yuki stated, still wearing a devilish smirk.

Then, Weavel put his hand on top of hers on the table, "Aw, so you care so much as to make something solely for _me_? I knew you cared."

Looking away, the Darkness Lieutenant cleared her throat, "S-shut up, Idiot."

"Ahem, if you two are done showing your affection for each other, we have things to get done." Zexion was impatiently tapping his fingers on the table.

"Master Zexion, not you too!" Yuki turned to glare at the Nobody, "You'll regret it!"

Zexion shook his head, "At any rate, I have realized that introductions are in order."

"Nah, I think we can save the introductions for some other time." Weavel interrupted, "So like…how many people do you have to choose from for your lieutenant?"

"I have twelve choices but…" Zexion trailed off.

Xigbar raised an eyebrow and then rubbed his chin, "Hey kiddo, you only have eleven I mean…Roxas…"

The younger man ignored him, "The Council doesn't really trust me, besides you two Lieutenants. I've already decided on who my lieutenant will be, but I also have someone else in mind to help me lead the Twilight faction in battle."

"Are you allowed to do that?" Weavel wondered aloud.

"There are certain…complications due to the Council's preferences." The Nobody replied.

Yuki shook her head, "Of course there are some complications."

"So in essence, yes, I am able to have two different lieutenants. One for show and the other for skill, but both are invaluable. Sure, they're both skilled but in different areas."

Xemnas cleared his throat, "Then who have you chosen?"

Silence fell over the room as everyone waited for Zexion to respond. The young man got up from his seat and began walking around the table, focused on each person he passed. Weavel watched to see the others' reactions while Yuki hummed a tune and patiently waited. Finally, the Nobody came to a stop and rested his hands on the backrests of two chairs. He stood between Lexaeus and Marluxia.

"I need a leader on the battlefield who's confident and willing to take a few risks. A leader with sound reasoning, who can command loyalty, and has a mind set on keeping their unit alive and getting the job done." Both men seated in front of Zexion looked to him expectantly, "The person I want helping me lead the Twilight faction in battle is with us, however…"

Weavel shook his head as he tried to follow where this was headed, "But what?"

The Schemer smirked and began walking once again, "I've no intention of revealing who that is just yet. There's the matter of getting my lieutenant for the Council meetings."

Everyone else had released an exasperated sigh. Xigbar shook his head and looked at his son. _Way to kill the suspense, my little schemer._ Yuki rested her head in her hand as Weavel rolled his eyes at Zexion. The Superior tried to hide his hurt at the thought of not being chosen to lead and released another sigh. Lexaeus looked to Zexion with an unreadable expression as Marluxia just rubbed one of his temples.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by 'getting' your lieutenant?" Axel asked.

A frown appeared on Zexion's features as he stopped once more, behind his own chair, "I have to see Sora."

Demyx quirked up an eyebrow, "What does Sora have to do with anything that we're doing?"

"Axel, Marluxia, I want you two to travel with me to Hyperion." The Schemer then left the room.

The Flurry looked to everyone else and shrugged. Weavel scanned his eyes across those in the room and also left. Yuki gave the Nobodies a weak smile and exited the room with Axel and Marluxia not too far behind. Their eyes glinted with curiosity as they neared the transportation station. Once they arrived, both were given bundles with badges resting on top of them. It was a black wolf's head lined with silver and the guard that handed them the bundles began her explanation.

"The badges allow you to enter areas that were originally unavailable to you and show others where your loyalties lie. Inside the bundles are uniforms; Master Zexion ordered them to be simple. The uniforms are coats much like what you're wearing, but are dark grey with the Twilight emblem on the back. However, the coats are much more complex than they seem."

Marluxia looked confused, "But you just said that they were to be simple."

"Well, I meant according to their looks. Every faction has a plain looking uniform and a set of armor with certain aspects to them, but you'll have to figure out those traits yourselves and then swing by the Fenrir Armory to see about armor arrangements. I have to bring the other bundles and badges to your comrades." The guard saluted them and jogged toward the fortress.

"Well, it's better than always wearing black, right?" Axel began taking off his Organization coat and pulling on the other one.

The Assassin slowly nodded, "It'll be interesting to see what they do."

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it all out later. We should get going and get our task done before tomorrow." Both of the Nobodies jumped as Zexion appeared, leaning against a doorway.

"By the frickin' Hearts, Zexy, you shouldn't just appear out of nowhere!" Axel exclaimed.

The Schemer shrugged and then pressed a button beside him. As he pulled his hand away, the door in front of Axel and Marluxia began to open and it revealed a garage filled with numerous vehicles. Slowly, Zexion walked over to a VRSCF and then motioned for the other two to get the other VRSCFs beside him. Then the Schemer pulled out his badge and placed it in-between the handlebars, activating the motorcycle. He patiently waited for Marluxia and Axel to do the same; taking off as soon as they were ready.

_You strove for emotions, that which only serves to cause nothing but pain in the end._

_-We strove to become whole. Emotions were only part of what we sought.-_

_Is that so?_

Sora sighed as he walked around the halls of Hyperion's Castle. The brunet examined the walls, which were lined with scenes made completely out of copper shiller sunstone. His blue eyes briefly scanned over the names of the scenes engraved onto the small golden plating below them. Various scenes surrounded Sora and probably lined all of the castle's walls, but one particular scene caught his eye. It was unfinished, seeing as most of the sunstone's surface was untouched. However, what had been carved depicted three key-bearers standing at the foot of something. Two of the three key-bearers wielded two keyblades while one of them only held something that reminded Sora of one of his own keyblades. Taking a closer look, the brunet noted that the key-bearers had striking resemblances to himself, Roxas and Zexion.

Suddenly, the teen narrowed his eyes, "I can't believe that…that prick…"

A moment passed as Sora stood there, looking at the gold plate that rested beneath the unfinished scene. Reaching out with his left hand, he traced over the title. It read, _Reawakened._ Another moment later and the teenager found himself walking aimlessly within the halls. He let his mind drift back earlier this evening, after Lady Simone had returned from another meeting. Sora shuddered; even after all the things he's faced, he'll never want to cross her.

~Flashback~

_ "__Dannazione*__…why can't those Nobodies just stay out of the way; we already have a lot of problems and don't want any more __perturbazioni*!" Simone yelled out to no one in particular as she strode past the lounge where Sora, Riku, and Kairi were currently hanging around._

_ The three teens shared a look and then Sora got up to peek out the doorway. There were two guards following the seething green haired woman as she continued on in a tirade. It seemed that neither of the guards could understand some of her sentences, which only served to make her even more angry and caused Sora to laugh. But once he laughed, Simone __indignantly spun around and glared at him. Sora choked on his laughter and then shrunk as the woman marched over to him and began yelling at the top of her lungs in a language he didn't understand. _

_ Not too long after the keyblade master had gone into a fit, she became flustered and then stalked off somewhere further into the castle. One of the guards went after her while the other went to Sora. He knelt down, patted the teen's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. The brunet shuddered and shut his eyes tightly._

_ "Well, kid, seems that you got the brunt of the Lady's wrath. But don't worry about it, she meant no harm; it's just that whenever one of her meetings go wrong, she has a tendency to rant angrily about it. The Lady will come back to apologize tomorrow; I, myself, am sorry for letting you go through that. Stay tough kiddo, war ain't for weak-willed." The guard then stood to leave, stopping just to tousle Sora's spikes and then jogged down the hall._

~Flashback End~

"Damn Nobody prick has something do to with all this…this has to be some kind of ruse…" Sora's narrowed eyes widened in an instant as he bumped into a wolf's head carved in black.

The teen looked up to see Zexion looking down at him thoughtfully, "Do you truly believe that, Master Sora?"

"Yes, I do still think that you're still a prick and a liar, even after all this." Sora glared up into the Nobody's dark blue eye.

A heavy silence passed over them until Zexion spoke once more, words seeming to leave his mouth slowly, "I see, I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised. In any case, I find myself in need of your assistance."

Curtly turning around, Sora threw his hands up, "What makes you think that I'll help _you_?"

"I don't expect you to want to help; I am merely wondering if you are willing to lend it."

The Nobody sharply exhaled as the teen turned his head sideways to glare back at him. Zexion looked to the two that stood behind him on his right and left. Marluxia shrugged with an apologetic smile, which meant there was nothing he could offer to help. Axel's response was also a shrug, but then gave him a reassuring pat on his left shoulder. Suddenly, Sora had turned to face the three of them and seemed deflated.

"As long as there isn't anything funny going on, I'll help you." The key-bearer shoved his hands into his pockets.

Zexion sighed in relief and then motioned for Sora to follow him down the hallway, "Let's head outside over to the training field, we'll need to get an old friend."

Marluxia looked to Axel with confusion plastered onto his features, "An old friend?"

"Who knows who Zexion's talking about?" Axel replied, who also looked confused.

Sora shuffled, "Where exactly are we getting this 'old friend' of yours?"

The Schemer kept walking as the confused trio behind him voiced questions similar to the one Sora had asked. Footsteps echoed the halls as they made their way towards a door leading to a courtyard. Pausing to look around, Zexion dug around the inside of his robe and then pulled out his badge. He placed it on the windowed door frame and it creaked open. Putting the badge away, the Schemer progressed toward the center of the courtyard; there stood an unfinished statue of some keyblade hilts pointing inwards, leading up into a block. Sora briefly wondered what that statue was supposed to be until he was forcefully pulled forward. He bumped into Zexion again and began to ask why the Nobody had yanked him. Slowly, Zexion had stepped back and then pointed his left index finger at Sora.

"You've known the power of the heart, but have yet to learn the power of will. Calm down for now, Master Sora, this will be quick."

Marluxia finally voiced a question that Zexion had been unprepared to answer, "Is it dangerous for any of us?"

"Wha—I mean—no, it isn't, Marluxia. Nothing will cause us harm," Zexion stepped further back into the shadows, "I want both you and Axel to keep an eye on Master Sora for the duration of this…task."

Removing his right gauntlet, thus freeing his wrist and hand, Zexion pulled out his jeweled stiletto. He ran the blade down from his wrist to his elbow and then quickly waved his right arm away in one fluid motion, as if getting rid of excess water. His blood quietly splattered onto the tile next to his feet and then the Nobody let his right arm rest at his side. Once enough liquid had gotten on his hand, he knelt down and then placed a handprint on the tile in front of him. Zexion snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes at Sora.

"Where the hell did—whoa, what the crap is happening here?" The brunet's eyes widened as a large red circle surrounded him and the statue.

Axel and Marluxia went to step in and stop what seemed to be going wrong. But before they could reach the teen, a bright red light blasted up from the circle and Sora became encased in the bright red column. He panicked and rushed at the barrier, hoping to break it with a strong hit from his keyblade. Meanwhile, Axel and Marluxia began hitting the wall from the outside.

"Damn it, our weapons have no effect on this thing!" The Flurry leapt back and looked to Marluxia.

Looking up, the Assassin exhaled sharply, "We can't get in from above, the column reaches way up into the sky and our powers aren't available to us."

Axel growled and fired up his chakrams and threw them both at the column, "Where did this thing even come from anyway?"

"Where's Zexion when we need him," Marluxia questioned as he looked to his left, "He was there earlier…"

"I'm over here, Marluxia." Zexion called as he appeared next to the oblivious and seething Axel, wearing both of his gauntlets, "Where the hell did this column come from?"

Giving the Schemer a look, Marluxia replied, "What, you didn't see this thing pop of outta nowhere?"

Continuing to feign his surprise, the slate haired Nobody hastily nodded, "Wherever it came from, it is imperative that we send it back and rescue Master Sora!"

"We would _love_ to, Zexy, but there's no way to get him out of that column." Axel curtly responded, after realizing the Schemer was standing two feet away from him.

"Wait a minute…" Zexion pointed to the column, "Watch what's happening."

Once the two Nobodies' attention was fully aimed at the column once more, the Schemer withdrew into the shadows again. He slipped off his gauntlet and then slid the stiletto over his palm and then made a fist. Zexion cringed and then frowned, waiting for the response he wanted to see from the key-bearer. Hearing a strangled cry, the Nobody quickly pulled on his gauntlet and then quietly leapt to where he had previously stood.

"W-what's happening to me? GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Sora yelled as he gripped his abdomen with one hand and his forehead with the other.

Axel rushed up and hit the barrier with his fist, "Hang in there!"

"Z-Zexion…what should be our next course of action? Merely standing here and watching shit happen doesn't do anything!" Marluxia desperately called out as he focused on the Schemer.

_That didn't stop you before…_ Sighing, Zexion crossed his arms, "I…I'm afraid, there's nothing we can do now."

His words made Axel ballistic and start swearing. The other two Nobodies watched as the redhead crawled away from the barrier, let out a string of curses and then let them fall until he was whispering and crying. Marluxia then turned to Sora, unwillingly accepting that there was nothing that could help him in this state. The Assassin balled his hands up into fists at his sides and then looked away. Zexion looked between his companions. Suddenly, a scream from inside the barrier made all three look directly at the key-bearer.

"N-no way, n-n-no fucking way, that can't be him!" Axel's green eyes widened.

The pink-haired Assassin released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, "Amazing."

A brilliant white light surrounded everyone. It blasted Marluxia and Axel away into the shrubbery behind them, and forced Zexion to shield himself. Then, the light collected itself back to where the column once stood and then let out a shockwave of energy over the entire complex, maybe even further out into the barren plains. After the shockwave dispersed and the light fully faded away, Zexion approached the two prone figures that lay before the unfinished statue. He gently put them into sitting positions at the statue's base.

Brushing away the blonde's bangs, Zexion gently smiled down at him, "Axel missed you and truth be told, I did too, very much. Welcome back…Roxas."

**Translations In order of which the speaker had used them-**

**Zexion- ****Shroud these wounds and make me seem unscathed.**

**Alaryn- Bitch; That little piece of shit; Go fuck yourself, you don't know me !; Sorry; The Council's filled with stubborn asses.**

**Visitor- You don't have to be so rude...; Keep control over yourself until the battle.**

**Simone- Damn; disturbances.**

**Translation End-**

**Axel: *Gasp* ROXAS IS BACK!**

**Zexion: We should celebrate then.**

**Demyx: Strobe light dancing?**

**Zexion: Strobe light dancing?**

**Xigbar: We're having a dance party?**

**Saix: Hm...we should start planning the party accordingly.**

**Zexion: Dance party? *facepalm* Guys, Roxas just wants to settle back in _calmly_ and most importantly, _quietly_.**

**Xigbar: Pfft, as if we're gonna do ballroom dancing.**

**Luxord: I could go for a waltz or two.**

**Xaldin: Figures...**

**(In background) Roxas: By the Hearts' Mercy...anyway guys, Review!**


	7. Regret

**(Sing-song voice) I'm ba-ack!**

**Xemnas: Oh joy.**

**-.- You make me feel so much better about myself. Anyway, I'm not giving up on this story.**

**Zexion: You're practically killing us with each chapter we have to wait for.**

**Alaryn: Well, if you think about it, our dear author is kinda killing _you_ with each chapter.**

**Xigbar: *Aims one of his Arrowguns at Alaryn's head* Is that some kind of threat?**

***One of Larxene's kunai finds itself lodged in Alaryn's back* (In the distance) Larxene: You better watch yourself, bastard!**

**Xigbar: That's my little girl!**

**Zexion: Odd how it ends up being that the younger sibling has to watch out for the older...**

**Demyx: DANCE WATER DANCE!**

***Everyone is drenched, except for Larxene who isn't in the room***

**...Great. Also, I've realized that there hasn't been much word on Mickey and his faithful friends. So, uh...my excuse is that this story is focused on the Organization.**

**Vexen: And a few hints of Sora and friends.**

**Read and Review.**

Regret – _"Of all the things I remember and regret, I regret ever bringing any of them into a conflict that is not their own and I also regret not being able to understand you well enough to help you."_

Alaryn put his hands behind his back and then turned to face the cell door. Standing before him with their arms crossed was his lieutenant, Weavel Lonestar. The Commander sighed in relief and then stepped closer to his second-in-command. Weavel took a step back as he watched Alaryn move closer to the door. Then, the Commander reached out in-between the bars with his hand.

"Weavel, what's wrong with you today? Help me out here." Just as Alaryn finished talking, four Dawn soldiers wearing their orange robes with white flames stepped up from outside the tent.

His lieutenant looked at him with sad eyes, "Forgive me, Master Alaryn, but I've been told to bring you before the Council. Since Master Zexion has been released from the Remedial Center, your fate will be decided by your victim."

One of the guards unlocked the cell and then roughly pulled Alaryn out. She slapped shackles onto the Commander's forearms and ankles. Another set was put on his arms since he had a mechanical one. Then Alaryn was forced to stand in the middle of the four guards as Weavel went to stand in front of them. They marched toward the Council building surrounded by people from all factions. Collective shouts were spat at the Dawn Commander and a few stray—mostly weak—spells were thrown at the cyborg.

Lurching forward after being hit with a thunder spell, Alaryn spoke out, "What can I do to prove that what I did…that what I did was out of an unsound mind?"

_He sounds sincere…_ Weavel thought as he kept walking, "I am not the one who decides, Master."

_You'll regret ever speaking out against those who were your betters!_

_-One day, you will wish you spent your time working for something greater than for your selfish wants.-_

_But, you know what you should really be regretful of, __Insensé?_

_-No, I am unaware of what you speak of.-_

Upon seeing Weavel arrive, Yuki nodded at him in acknowledgement with her four guards saluting him. The Darkness unit was clad in black robes with a large blue sash across their abdomen and had large red sleeves. Next to Yuki sat Kayrn, on his velvet pillow, and the dog growled at Alaryn; the cyborg merely uttered a curse in French. Across from where Weavel stood was Lady Simone, she was seated on her throne with her four guards dressed in white blazers trimmed with gold, and had their coattails fluttering behind their thighs as they moved into position. Finally turning his green and blue eyes to where the Dawn's thrones originally rested, they were now replaced with two thrones tailored according to the Twilight's emblem; there sat Zexion with Roxas sitting next to him on a lesser throne. Around the two stood four guards dressed in the Twilight's simple, dark grey trench coat.

"Lieutenant Lonestar, take a seat in the throne that was placed next to Lieutenant Tomeo's." Yuki let out an inward groan as Simone finished speaking.

Weavel nodded and then let the Dawn guards take over and lead Alaryn to the center. Zexion watched the Lieutenant with empathy in his visible eye; he knew what it was like to feel conflicted because of someone he trusted. A whir was heard as Alaryn flexed his claws from a fist into a relaxed position. Receiving a glare from Lady Simone, the cyborg ceased and then looked up to the ceiling.

"Alaryn Girard, Commander of the Dawn faction and skilled magician, you stand before us today to be judged for your heinous actions against the Commander of the Twilight faction, Master Zexion." Simone stated coldly, earning a scoff from the shackled cyborg.

He shook his head, "Back to the full name game are we, Lady Simone?"

"Speak only when you are given permission, _Girard_!" Kayrn spat venomously.

The magician tilted his head back and then took a step back, "You wound me so, my dear Kayrn. But, please do forgive my rudeness." Alaryn bowed his head.

Rolling her eyes, Simone gestured to Zexion, "Master Zexion, please state the offender's rights."

"Alaryn Girard, should you be found guilty for treason against the Council, you will be removed as Commander of the Dawn and guillotined immediately. Any and all forms of your relations to the Dawn will be severed and your name will become a disgrace to the universe. Should you be found innocent, however, this entire ordeal shall be forgotten and you will retain your position as Commander of the Dawn."

Slowly taking a step forward, Alaryn was surrounded by the four keyblades of the Dawn guards around him, "I…I am utterly speechless. You all accuse me of treason, yet I do not even know what treason I have committed against you."

"Are you mad?" Yuki exclaimed, "It all happened two days ago when Master Zexion arrived with the Organization. You decided to injure him severely after we had briefly acquainted ourselves with his companions."

"That can't be possible; all I remember from two days ago is sparring with my Lieutenant and then attending a meeting in the Aurora Conference Room to give orders for a reconnaissance mission to see what's left of Sector Nine." Weavel winced and Kayrn put his head down.

Simone let her eyes drift to the side, "Sector Nine, formerly known as Resolution. When those soldiers were sent there…" She shook her head, "Alaryn, you should know better than to mention what we have lost; it brings back people we held so dearly to mind…"

Before Alaryn could say anything, Zexion spoke up first, "We lost much there because of inaccuracies and too many delays. I suggest after we find a solution to Alaryn's trial, we take a moment to honor those that died."

"That'll be put into consideration Master Zexion; it's been awhile since any other members of the Council have been given time to ourselves and our thoughts." Kayrn replied before shutting his eyes.

Alaryn shuffled uncomfortably on his feet, "I am sorry for bringing up something so unpleasant. But, I still do not remember anything about the Council being called together to meet the Nobodies."

"You seemed to act as you normally would toward Master Zexion, sir." Weavel commented.

"Yet, I don't recall a single word that I had said. If I spoke out against anyone, I would most definitely remember." The cyborg took a few steps toward Zexion, "Even so, if I had injured you then you have my most sincere apologies."

Zexion glared at the magician halfheartedly, "I find that hard to believe, yet I…cannot find it in what I have as a heart to condemn you."

"Oh yeah, you weren't there to fully receive your heart again," Yuki leaned back into her throne and rubbed her temples.

"Completely unnecessary in any case," Zexion waved her statement off, "I've already decided on that matter before."

Weavel groaned and then rest his head in his left hand, "Do we need to go over what had happened that day, or are we going to run in circles? Alaryn doesn't remember what he said and he always remembers things that he says. I mean, remember that day you came to my world, Alaryn?"

"How could I forget that day?" The cyborg took a step back and then three steps toward Zexion.

Simone cleared her throat before Alaryn could reminisce, "As much as we'd all love to hear your fond memories, we have more important matters to discuss."

"Right," Alaryn nodded, "but I keep telling you all, I _don't_ remember anything other than training and assignments! If I did anything at all, I would think I'd at least remember seeing the 'Organization'. But, unfortunately I don't; any other member I've seen besides Master Zexion himself is his current lieutenant."

Kayrn growled, "Weavel's right, we're running in a few damn circles the more we go over what had happened…"

Roxas shifted in his seat and then leaned forward, "If Alaryn can't recall anything other than what happened before the meeting, he's guilty of being irrational at the time, which would obviously mean that whatever he did was a mistake. We're getting nowhere here."

Everyone had their eyes focused in the blonde Nobody. Kayrn nodded in agreement with him and Simone sighed. Yuki regarded his statement with eyes filled with an unreadable expression. Weavel focused his gaze on his Commander and became slightly startled when Alaryn turned to look back at him. Unable to keep looking at Alaryn, Weavel looked up and began to slouch. The cyborg then turned to Zexion and Roxas once more and bowed down low.

"You have a smart lieutenant there, Master Zexion. You should appreciate his thoughts." Alaryn muttered.

The Commander of the Twilight nodded in acknowledgement of the cyborg's statement, "And you have a lieutenant that admires you greatly. Don't disappoint him or lead him astray, for he might become blinded by his loyalty; if you care for him as a mentor, you wouldn't do that to him."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Alaryn murmured in reply.

Silence had fallen over the Chamber after the two Commanders finished their quiet conversation. Roxas looked bored and began juggling his badge in his hands. Kayrn scratched the back of his left ear and then sat up on his haunches. Yuki whacked Weavel with her paper fan for some offhand comment as Simone cleared her throat. The green haired woman stood and her guards went to flank her.

"This trial didn't exactly go as I expected it to, and I am glad. Now we have a chance to reflect on whom and what we have lost during the course of this war." She began to leave the Chamber.

Zexion stood and moved to follow, with Roxas and their guards in tow. Weavel jogged up next to Alaryn and removed the cyborg's shackles. Along with Kayrn and Yuki, they all left the Chamber as well. Peering out from the shadows of the Chamber, a hooded figure walked to the center. It basked in the light of the crystals for a brief moment and then moved to the wall behind Simone's throne. It knocked around the thin columns and then found a hollow sounding spot. Placing a hand an inch away from the column, it sent a small shockwave out and forced open the door.

"So…this corridor must lead to the generators…" It took a few steps into the corridor and pulled an item off its back that was wrapped in tattered rags.

_You should regret ever having gone against me and my colleagues!_

_-Why should I regret doing something that has done so much for me? I regret nothing that transpired against you.-_

Simone sat down on a bench facing a statue. It was a statue of an elderly man leaning against a keyblade while holding up some sort of orb and standing behind the elderly man, facing the other way, was a young man with slicked back hair who held a shield on his left forearm bearing a crown emblem against his chest with his right hand raised up high with a clawed gauntlet. Both men wore heavy armor with a crown emblem on their chests and a jewel emblem on their shoulders. As Simone looked intently on the statue, one of the guards sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She ignored the guard and turned her attention to Zexion, who was standing in front of the statue and carefully inspecting it.

"Even after all this time…I can't believe it." Simone sighed.

The guard next to her removed his visor hat, "I just can't believe you've put off reconnaissance missions in that area for so long."

Simone shook her head, "Captain Raes, you have to understand that sending any troops there could lead to more losses and-."

"I'm pretty sure that what you really mean is that you don't want to think about _them_ anymore." Silence fell over both of them once again as Simone turned her gaze onto Zexion once again.

The Nobody had gone to sit on a bench with his lieutenant. Not too far from them was Kayrn. The dog was lying on some grass and looking at another statue. The statue was of a young girl, who looked no more than seven. She wore a smile that reached from ear to ear and had her hair put into a Dutch braid, wearing light armor with the dual sword insignia on her small cape that hung from her shoulders. Finally, Simone looked to Alaryn, who knelt before a statue of a six-foot humanoid eagle. The eagle had its wings pushed out behind it and held a keychain on its neck. Suddenly, she heard Captain Raes snicker.

"What on earth are you laughing about?" The captain attempted to hide his smile.

Simone rolled her eyes as Capt. Raes spoke, "Well, milady, it's just that, I never could get over the fact that Alaryn's previous lieutenant was so—uh, pardon my language-fricking tall."

"You speak with such tact, Marco." The key-bearer giggled.

Capt. Raes blinked, "Y-you're giggling; I got Lady Simone to giggle! Where's a record keeper when you need one?"

The Commander of the Light punched him on the shoulder while trying to recompose herself. Marco only smirked and then focused his violet eyes onto the statue of the two men. Slowly, he stood and then saluted it and then motioned for Simone to stand. With a confused look on her features, Marco led her over to the base of the statue and then took ahold of her hand. Simone began to protest only to be interrupted by the captain.

"Forgive me, milady, but I think now is the best time to try to come to terms with the loss of your father and your brother." Marco stood there, firmly grasping her hand.

Suddenly, Simone's features darkened, "I…I don't want to accept this. My twin brother was so much stronger than I was and my father…" The Commander burst into tears and clung tightly onto Marco's arm.

Not too far away, Zexion briefly observed them with sadness gleaming in his eyes. Then Roxas pulled him off the bench and began dragging him back to the entrance to the garden. The Schemer looked confused as the shorter Nobody stopped at the gates. As the blonde reached out to push open the gates, Zexion took ahold of his wrist and then pulled him back.

"Roxas…I know you harbor no feelings for these people you don't even know, but we still have to respect them." The Schemer received a glare from the teen.

Roxas threw his hands up, "I-I don't understand any of this crap and you're forcing me to help a cause I don't even know about or even care for!"

Silence fell over them as they stood beside a statue of a knight holding a large jewel. Roxas narrowed his eyes and turned to storm off, but the other Nobody stopped him once more; this time by gripping the blonde's shoulder. Turning back around, both Nobodies shared a look and then Roxas sighed. He leaned against the statue as Zexion crossed his arms.

"Look, Zexion, I just…" Roxas looked to the side for a moment, "I don't…why do you suddenly care about things like this? The Cloaked Schemer of the Organization XIII spent most of his time in the shadows with others doing his dirty work."

Suddenly, the Schemer wrapped Roxas up in his arms, "I know, everything's going to be different now…but in order to live we'll have to adapt to the times."

The blonde looked up at him with unreadable eyes, "Everything's just crashing down on me so fast… I'm sorry I'm not being a very good lieutenant…"

"No, Roxas, I'm the one who should be apologizing here," Zexion let go of the younger Nobody and then turned around, "I unfairly appointed you to a position that you aren't prepared for, and now I am straining you on your first official day back amongst us."

Roxas shrugged and grinned to try and lighten the mood, "Well…we're both kinda at fault here. We both need help with something, yet we can't seem to offer that support for each other like we should be doing…"

"Let's go back to the Council. After that we can discuss the situation with the rest of the O—I mean, with our family." Zexion patted the shorter male's back as they walked to the center of the garden.

"Family," Roxas repeated after him, "I like that idea."

The Schemer smiled, "But when you don't count the Nobodies as a force that stands together, then they're just small families grouped together. For example, Xigbar, Larxene and myself, we're a family. Another one, if you'd humor it is Axel and Marluxia; they could be brothers."

Roxas looked up at the Twilight Commander incredulously, "You're related to Xigbar and Larxene? But, Xigbar's so laid back and Larxene is…crazy."

"Outward appearances, Roxas, all those things are just components of my father and sister's masks."

As Zexion finished his statement, the two Nobodies spotted Simone still weeping and Yuki interrogating Alaryn. Weavel stood to the side, shaking his head as the two officers went back and forth with their cross-examination. Out of the corner of his left eye, Zexion noted that Kayrn had sprawled himself out in front of the young girl's statue. Before he could speak out and save Alaryn from a verbal lashing from Yuki, the Schemer received a tug on his arm.

"Hey, can you tell me about these people at least? I don't wanna feel…stupid around them." The teen seemed embarrassed to ask.

Zexion nodded, "Of course, it was stupid of me to forget that you needed to get acquainted with them anyway. The woman that's weeping over there is Lady Simone Rambaudi, Commander of the Light faction and leader of the Council—of course that seems to go without saying—and that blue dog over there is Master Kayrn, Commander of the Darkness faction. The two arguing back there is Master Alaryn Girard, Commander of the Dawn and Lieutenant Yuki Tomeo of the Darkness faction, and finally that guy standing off to the side of them is Lieutenant Weavel Lonestar of the Dawn faction."

Roxas slowly took in all this new information and then went on with his question, "And what about the statues here, who are these people?"

"Deceased members of the Council are honored here. In front of Kayrn was his former lieutenant, Rosemary Tayr. She was only seven when she was stationed at Resolution. She presumably died there during the siege. The statue of those two men represents the former leaders of the Light faction, Lords Rey and Sylvester Rambaudi. Lord Rey was Simone and Sylvester's father; he had planned to hand over the command to one of his children but died during the Destruction of Resolution. Lord Sylvester was Lady Simone's twin brother, younger than her by a minute and was the first member of the Council to use a weapon that wasn't a keyblade or anything that involved a keychain. After his death at Resolution, Lady Simone was forced to take command of the Light and has refused any applications or recommendations for her lieutenant. Finally, there's the former lieutenant of the Dawn. He told no one of his real name so we referred to him as 'Feathers'."

The teen next to him snorted, "Really, is that the best you guys could come up with? 'Feathers' was what you nicknamed the poor guy?"

"Well…he didn't like the name 'Hawk' or 'Hawkman' so that was the third best thing. Anyhow, he was retrieving information from the scouts at Resolution before the siege and was presumably killed there." Suddenly the two stopped walking; they stood in front of a ruined statue.

Roxas examined it from top to bottom, "This statue seems out of place."

Zexion winced and looked away and let the younger male continue, "It's surrounded by vines and there is no way of telling who this could have been."

"I…I agree with you on that." Then the Schemer swiftly turned around and began walking away.

Roxas sighed and took one last glance at the statue and followed after Zexion. They walked past a few rose bushes and then turned a corner. Scanning his bright blue eyes over their new surroundings, Roxas noted that there was a variety of flowers here in various colors. As he walked around the flower beds, he could have sworn he heard Zexion mutter something regarding them. Brushing the matter aside for now, Roxas looked over the flowers planted here. Poppies, lilies, chrysanthemums, carnations and more rose bushes decorated the area, seemingly giving the place a lively atmosphere.

"These flowers are so beautiful," The teen commented as he gently cupped a purple chrysanthemum in his hand.

Zexion slowly walked up beside him and slightly bent over to see the flower he was examining, "This flower is a chrysanthemum; one of my two favorite flowers. See those red flowers over there? Those are carnations, also quite attractive and those white ones are lilies."

Roxas walked over to a rose bush, "Obviously these are roses. How come you know so much about flowers, Zexion? I would think Marluxia would be the flower expert."

The Schemer wore a somber expression as he replied, "I only know these flowers for one reason."

"Will I hear that reason?" The blonde asked as they began walking back to the center of the garden.

"Perhaps one day you will, but certainly not today. I'd like to enjoy the scenery here for now."

Roxas huffed, "Alright then, another day. But, isn't this garden in Fenrir? I mean we can always see this place."

Zexion shrugged, "True, though every faction has a garden like this, I have to wonder why we all came to Fenrir…"

_I remember looking back and then running away like a child._

_-What does that have to do with the current situation?-_

_You said you regretted not helping me; that was one of my problems._

_-Then elaborate on what you said; if we talk about it then maybe we can work it out.-_

_N-never mind, speaking up was a mistake._

**_Clink! Clink! _**A metal rod clattered onto the tile floor and the crackle of electricity echoed throughout the hall. The hooded figure tossed aside its hammer and then picked up the light blue crystal that it laid down on the ground earlier. Putting the shard in its mouth, the figure removed the rags from the item it carried in there and then used it to jab another rod onto the floor. **_Clink-clink-clang!_** The sounds of the figure's work continued for minutes until several rods lay on the tile floor. Pausing to press a button on the staff, the figure waited until a serrated blade popped out from the top of it. Then the figure went to slicing away at the wires on the ceiling and then twirling the staff around to occasionally slice at the wires on the generator. Suddenly, the figure spat out the crystal and then shook its head.

"This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would…" Its gravelly voice filled the air as it stopped cutting the wires.

Sighing, it pressed the button on the staff once more and the blade switched to a spike. With another press of a button, the staff's size decreased until it appeared no bigger than one of the rods that lay one the ground. It twirled the rod around, picked up the shard and then gazed at its handiwork. Then, it drove the spiked rod down into the generator. Turning around, the figure rushed out of the hall and then back into the Chamber.

Looking from side to side, then the ceiling, "Now to get to the top of the dome…there's bound to be a vent up there."

Before it could move, the Chamber doors opened and three guards stormed in. The figure took a step back and analyzed the situation. Out of the three, the leader was probably the woman bearing the Darkness crest on her shoulders. The most likely to rush forward was the heavily armored man from the Light, while their greatest asset was the Twilight guard. Examining the guard for a moment longer, the figure noted that he was clad in silver armor with a few purple accents, probably a highly privileged foot soldier that had put thought over action.

"…You are all making a mistake by getting in _my_ way." The hooded figure took a step forward and a red dot appeared on its chest.

It was the Twilight soldier's laser sight on his gunblade/keyblade, "We are not the ones making the mistake here; it was you who entered the Chamber and the Passage."

"I suggest you put your hands behind your head right now before I run you through," The woman threatened as she tightened the grip on her keyblade and walked forward.

The Light guard wasn't too far behind her as he rested his keyblade on his shoulder, "Explain yourself now, or we'll find other means to get you to do so."

A scoff escaped the figure's mouth as it began putting its hands up. Both guards approaching it stopped and waited until its hands were behind its head. The Twilight guard lowered his keyblade and took a step forward as the Light guard moved to shackle the figure. Then all of a sudden, the figure cackled and reality somehow shifted within the Chamber.

"D-did you actually believe that I—Pfft—that I would surrender to you so easily?" All around them, the crystals' light began to fade away.

The woman jumped back beside the Twilight guard as the figure became consumed in a horde of insects. As it faded from sight, the last thing the three guards could see was the devilish smirk that was revealed as its hood fell. Then, everything became pitch black and all three heightened their senses. Chainmail rattled as the other two guards heard the Light guard shifted around.

The heavily armored guard spoke, "Keira, can't you do something about this? You're aligned with the Darkness and stuff…"

"Well why don't **you** do something, Barry?" Keira snapped back.

Barry went silent for a moment and then responded, "…What is that supposed to mean?"

Sighing, Keira narrowed her eyes and put her left arm out as she spoke, "You're aligned with the Light, asshole."

"Can't we just get along here? We're in here practically trapped in the dark," The Twilight guard grasped onto the outstretched hand, "The intruder probably wants us to freak out."

"Shut up, Pietro, I don't want to hear a word you say." Barry hissed.

Keira stepped closer to Pietro, glad that she could still feel one of her friends still alive, "He's got a point, Barry, so just get your ass over here and we can get out of here."

There was more rattling of chainmail as Pietro spoke once more, "I've already tried to go back to the door, whenever I'm close to reaching it, something crawls around my legs and then somehow I'm back where I am now."

"How come you know about it already?" Keira wondered aloud as Barry stumbled and swore.

"You two were occupied with your…discussion. At any rate we need a plan of—" A choked gasp interrupted Pietro and caused Keira to slightly slacken her grip on his arm.

"B-Barry, you alright buddy? If you're trying to joke around, this isn't funny!" Keira yelled out and nearly shrieked as a hand was laid on her shoulder.

Chainmail rattled once more, "Sorry Keira, I almost sneezed back there so I tried to hold it in."

Pietro sighed in relief as Keira smacked Barry's hand away, "You asshole, I thought you died or something!"

"Pfft, what do you think this is some kind of horror movie? Let's get going now; maybe we have a better chance of getting through the door together." Barry took ahold of Keira and Pietro's arms and moved closer to the door.

_-So, what made you run away from your situation?-_

_Didn't I tell you to drop it?_

_-You might regret not saying anything about it.-_

"Man~ I am so fricking bored…" Xigbar announced as he swung from his spot on the ceiling.

Xaldin shook his head and looked up at him, "We know Xigbar, we know."

Lexaeus inaudibly sighed and continued to read. Axel sat next to him on the couch, juggling a ball of fire. At the coffee table, Luxord and Vexen were playing Go Fish. Saix sat on the edge of his recliner to watch them play. On the balcony across the room was Xemnas, who decided to observe the training grounds. Suddenly, a lance flew by his head and crazed laughter from Xigbar followed. Xemnas slowly turned around to see Xaldin seething and Xigbar running away with some object in his hand. In the corner of his eye, he noted that Vexen had given Luxord a bag of munny. When his eyes swept over the room, Saix's gaze met his.

"Are you alright, Superior?" The Diviner asked as everyone else focused on the chaos that Xaldin and Xigbar were making.

Xemnas smiled, "I appreciate your concern, Saix, but there's no need for it. Also, don't call me 'Superior' anymore."

Saix raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to the silver haired man, "So what do I call you now?"

"You should call me by my name, just as you should for everyone now." The Superior placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, "Go ahead and say my name."

"O-okay then, Xem-nas, Xemnas…" Saix tried saying it a few more times and then furrowed his brow, "As nice as that is, it just feels…awkward."

Xemnas began leading Saix out of the room, "Then we'll take a walk around Fenrir and push your discomfort aside."

Saix looked away and let himself be led outside. As the two Nobodies walked out onto the training grounds, Xemnas seemed to bring Saix closer to him. This action caused the Diviner's face to heat up and slightly squirm. He squirmed more when the Superior finally wrapped his arm around his shoulders. When Saix decided to look back up at Xemnas, his amber eyes met the silver haired man's orange gaze.

"Relax and walk with me, Saix. It'll feel less awkward after a while, trust me." Xemnas smiled gently.

The blue haired man blushed more, "Fine."

_Now, back to the task at hand, you should have known this would have happened._

_-All this time, after everything, I **did** know how this would end. But, I don't regret a single moment that happened because of my ignorance to the signs.-_

Marluxia walked around the garden, careful to avoid approaching the center. He ran a hand through a hydrangea bush, feeling at home. There were a few gladioli planted around as well and some assortments of hyacinths in the distance. In all honesty, Marluxia had never seen some of these flowers in person; he couldn't _actually_ summon any kind of plant to his aid, he had to have seen it in person. It was ironic that a flower-lover like himself only had seen a few in both of his lifetimes. Of course, now saying that seemed odd, seeing as he was gifted with another chance at living life. Marluxia shrugged off the thought and bent down before a flowerbed of daffodils to take in their scent.

Somewhere else in the garden, Larxene and Demyx were seated at a bench talking once again. But after a minute, their words died down in their throats and they just sat there, enjoying each other's company. Then, the Nocturne got up onto his feet and walked out towards the field across from them. Larxene watched as he disappeared for one moment and then returned with a sunflower in hand. Demyx was slightly blushing as he handed the Nymph the flower. At first, her expression was unreadable and he thought that maybe she'd hit him for a 'stupid' action. His fear was dismissed as she accepted it with a smile. Once more, the Nocturne and the Nymph shared another moment of peace in each other's company before getting up and heading out of the garden side-by-side.

_-Did you ever fall in love with someone?-_

_What kind of question is that in a situation like this?_

_-A conversation starting question.-_

_I did love someone once; that became the biggest mistake in my life._

_-So you regret ever experiencing that feeling?-_

A sigh escaped Alaryn as he shook his head at Yuki. She glared at him and then crossed her arms. He looked to Weavel, who put his hand up as if to say 'No, I'm not getting involved'. Alaryn sighed again and then put his claw in front of his visor. Within seconds, he felt two blades against his sides and then slightly moved his claw to see Yuki still glaring at him. The cyborg inwardly groaned and then crossed his right arm over his clawed arm. Slowly, Yuki moved one of her blades only for them to be caught in Alaryn's grasp. _Shit if he dares to cross his arms then **my** arms will be tangled…_ Her thoughts became reality as Alaryn did just that and then twirled around and sent a mild shockwave through her arms.

"Damn it!" The lieutenant swore as she pulled her arms back to avoid further damage.

Alaryn spun the blades until he held them by the handle and then drove them into the ground, "I would watch where I put my blades if I were you, Lieutenant Tomeo."

"Yeah, well I'd watch out for who I hurt, if I were anything like you." Yuki retorted, rubbing her arms.

Weavel stepped beside her with a green light surrounding his hands, "I think you two are done talking. Master Alaryn, you should go speak with the soldiers back at Aurora."

The cyborg nodded and walked away. Passing by Zexion and Roxas, Alaryn acknowledged them with a nod. The Nobodies copied the gesture as they kept walking. Weavel kept examining Yuki's arms and his hands continued to glow a bright green. The Darkness Lieutenant snapped at him and tried to pull her arms away, but Weavel held on.

"I'm _fine_; let me go already, Idiot!" Yuki rolled her eyes in annoyance.

The Dawn Lieutenant shook his head, "You are not fine! Master Alaryn never uses that spell on his allies; it usually is fatal or just really painful…"

Lieutenant Tomeo sighed, "Look at me, Weavel, I'm not dead or in pain. Just let me go!"

"No! I have to make sure!" The brunet snapped back as Zexion and Roxas approached them.

The slate haired Nobody looked between the two, "Are you two trying to share a moment or make a scene? There are people mourning."

Roxas stood off to the side and chuckled to himself at the other Lieutenants' reactions. Weavel slackened his grip on Yuki and narrowed his eyes at Zexion. Just as she felt her arms become free, Yuki brought them in so she could cross her arms and glare at the Twilight Commander as well. They both hurried to defend themselves in their predicament, but all that came out were stutters and a few curses.

Finally, Zexion smiled and then patted them both on the shoulder, "It was worth the glares. Perhaps you should head to the Remedial Center to have your arms examined. Weavel is right, Alaryn never uses his spells on anyone on our side, and no one but Alaryn knows the effects."

Yuki opened her mouth to protest, but Weavel took ahold of her hand, "You heard Master Zexion, let's get going."

Roxas grinned as Yuki began swearing at the brunet while they walked away, "I wonder if that _was _worth it…"

"Let's not become nosy, Roxas. You know what, you can head back in and get some sleep; I need to run some errands." Zexion stretched out as he spoke.

"Are you sure? I can stick around a bit longer, I'm not tired." The teen failed to suppress a yawn.

The Schemer smiled at him, "Get some rest, Roxas. Besides, Axel will want to catch up with you in the morning."

Roxas took that into consideration for moment and then began to walk away, "Alright, I'll go get some rest. But, remember to keep me updated!"

Zexion watched as he left and then turned around. Kayrn passed by him to leave, and acknowledged the Nobody with a nod. Marco and Simone left not too long after Kayrn did; this left Zexion alone in the garden. He covered his mouth and then struggled to walk to a bench. Another coughing fit was about to happen, but Zexion could smell other another person within the garden. The taste of metal was on his tongue and the need to cough it out grew with each passing second. But Zexion continued to hold it in while his throat screamed in protest. Suddenly, another problem had risen as the Schemer fell onto his knees just a foot away from the bench. He had become lightheaded. _No, no, no, fainting is **not **an option. I can't faint, not here at least…_

There was shuffling in the bushes behind him, "Now these flowers are marvelous… I wonder what kind of bouquet I can make for Roxas's welcome home party. Hm…better ask him what flowers he likes sometime."

The Schemer scrambled away from the bench and into another walkway, hissing to himself, "Shit, shit!"

"By the Hearts, what was that noise?" Zexion struggled back onto his feet and then quickly walked to another path as Marluxia stepped out to where he once was.

Stopping to catch a breath, Zexion clasped a hand over his incomplete heart and then hurriedly walked to a path that led to an exit. But as he made his way to the exit, so did Marluxia. _Damn it, why can't there be two different exits?_ The slate haired man paused and then went to hide in some shrubs. Just then, Marluxia walked in front of the shrub, scratching the back of his head. The Assassin looked around and then to the bush. Slowly shifting in his spot, Zexion silently prayed that Marluxia didn't see or hear him. But the pink haired man reached out to the bush, squinted his eyes and opened his mouth to say something. Mentally kicking himself, Zexion brought one of his hands up and then twisted it around. Before Marluxia could recognize the figure in the bushes, a cool breeze brushed against him and something seemed to blind him for a moment. As he stumbled back, Zexion quietly jumped out from the bushes and rushed to the exit.

"Forgive me Marluxia; I can't afford to have someone else suffer for my faults." He leaned against the wall and then looked to the side, "If…things were different, then perhaps…"

Suddenly, hands clasped around his shoulders and when the Schemer looked up, he saw his father, "Zexion…there's blood on your face! I thought you said that you recovered!"

The slate haired man brought a hand to his lips, "There is?"

Xigbar kept looking at him, concern filling his eye, "What happened to you?"

"I cannot disclose that information with you," Zexion looked at his hand, a splotch of blood coating the tips of his index and middle finger, "It doesn't matter anyhow." _I don't even remember coughing—wait, it must've come out when I whispered to myself._

"That's bullshit and you know it, damn it!" The Freeshooter hissed as he let go, "You are **not** fine, and it'll only worsen without help."

_It is just one of those times I'm glad I'm blocking you out of my mind. _Zexion sighed and then began walking away, "Do not worry so much, Father. Plus, more important matters must be put ahead of a mere…blood spill."

"Yeah, that _totally_ makes sense to me, my dear little schemer," Xigbar sarcastically drawled as he jogged to catch up to him and then wrap an arm around his son's neck, "But if you think I'll be so easily thrown off your case, then you are mistaken. I mean, I'm not just gonna sit idly on my ass pretending that nothing's wrong. As if!"

"Sure thing, Father, but honestly we must prepare for the upcoming battle; after we have Roxas's welcome home party, of course." But the younger man was suddenly stopped by a firm tug from Xigbar.

The Freeshooter embraced him, "We weren't planning on celebrating yet, just a little after the battle. Y'know, when things calm down a little."

"I see, so we shall carry on with business and-."

Xigbar brought Zexion closer to him, causing the younger's eyes to widen, "You know I love you, right?"

"Of course Father, I love you too." The Schemer gingerly hugged him back.

"I'm only concerned because…" He seemed to choke on his words for a moment, "This is gonna sound really cliché and stupid or whatever, but I almost lost you once. I'll be damned if it happens again; you and Larxene are my life now…"

Zexion's eyes softened and then closed, "I know how you feel, Father, though on a much different scale. Nothing will tear this family apart, not as long as we all breathe and live and love each other."

"Please, Zexion, please don't push me away again. Last time…just please, for the sake of Larxene and me, speak up." A tear fell from Xigbar's eye as he held tightly onto Zexion.

Feeling tears of his own well up in his eyes, Zexion took in a shaky breath, "I can't do that, Father. I'm so sorry."

Releasing the Schemer, Xigbar took a step back. A mix of emotions was held in his eye as he turned and walked away. Looking away, Zexion dodged a look of hurt from Larxene as she revealed herself from a nearby corner and then ran after Xigbar. The slate haired man opened a Portal and sadly watched his sister and father disappear down the hallway. He turned and entered the Portal, appearing outside the Tactical Center. Messengers ran in and out, obviously carrying reports and new orders for units stationed throughout the world.

Thunder clapped above Zexion as he neared the Twilight faction's tent; rain poured down on him as he wiped the blood off his face and let a few tears fall, "Father…Sister…Marluxia…you do not know how much I want to tell you about _everything_, to feel as if I am not alone. But in order to keep you safe, I have to be."

**You've read it, now just click on the review button. I need to know if you guys actually like this stuff.**

**Dusk: IMBAKBEACHES!**

***Twitch* Dang it... Ignore that and review please.**

**Dusk: Lookie here, I'm dancing! *twists and bends in ways that are physically impossible for us***


	8. Betrayal

**Dun-dun-dun! Now is the time to be utterly confused as Hell!**

**Zexion: The author means to say, that they're back and now this is where things will get complicated.**

**Most of it is rather confusing.**

**Luxord: Agreed.**

**Zexion: How can it be confusing? You wrote the damn thing.**

**...TT_TT" I don't know anymore.**

**Zexion: -_-**

**Be warned though, this chapter is a bit longer than the others.**

**Axel: Maybe just by a thousand or so.**

Betrayal – _"It sickens me, yet that is sometimes necessary to win. How else do we obtain information, or destroy our enemies' forces? We tear them apart, using those they once trusted."_

Alaryn examined the canister in his hand as one of the tacticians finished her report. She bowed, fixed her glasses and then hurriedly walked away. The cyborg shook his head and then began prying the cap off of the canister. _Idiots shouldn't even bother when—damn it, why won't this thing open? Le morceau de merde…_ He mentally swore as he tried to get the cap to move. Just then, Weavel rushed in with a plate of food in one hand and a fork in the other. Alaryn shouted in frustration as he threw the canister against the table, causing the hologram of the area map to momentarily go static. His lieutenant jumped and almost spat out the food he had been chewing on.

Before Weavel could go on and apologize for being late with a mouthful of food, Alaryn put his claw up to stop him, "Not one word before you swallow, Lieutenant."

A gulp was heard and the brunet began, "I'm so sorry, Master, but it's so early in the morning and I was in the mess hall when I received word that you wanted me here. So, I grabbed a plate and got here as fast as I could!"

"Weavel…" Alaryn trailed off as he turned his head to look at him.

"Yes, Master?" The brunet took another bite of his food.

The cyborg reached out to get the canister, sighing, "I sent that message three hours ago. It's eight o'clock, yet Aurora isn't that far from the Tactical Center; Zexion's units are stationed at the rendezvous point, Kayrn's men are halfway there and Simone is just started making her way there."

"Yes, well I have the perfect explanation for _that_," The lieutenant began, "Uh…I'm not a morning person?"

Weavel smiled weakly as the cyborg replied wryly, "Says the man who is a part of the Dawn faction."

"Give me a break, I doubt anyone—other than yourself—was up this morning before five!"

Alaryn crossed his arms as he set the canister aside, "We're at war, Weavel. Next time, don't take a nap after receiving word of your orders."

"How would you know if I took a nap?" The brunet snapped indignantly.

"After half an hour passed, I went to check up on you," Alaryn replied, "You have an odd sense of time for your naps during this crisis."

"I still stand by my statement, Master. No one is awake before five in the morning."

-Erebus Training Fields, 3:25-

"Lieutenant, you're losing your focus!" Kayrn mumbled as he leapt back.

Yuki rolled her eyes and jumped back as well, "Training at 3:25 in the morning isn't exactly what I had on my agenda today, Master."

The dog snorted as he slowly circled around her, "You never complain about such things when there's an operation."

"Operations are fun, you get to sneak around and kill things; training isn't, you have to wake up early and keep attacking in the same manner against the same old opponent and then try to adapt to the situation after ten hits or so."

Raising his hindquarters, Kayrn prepared to pounce on Yuki as she spun her keyblades Hand Sonic and God Scale around, "Your enjoyment does not matter, only the skills you learn to use in the war do. Lives will depend on your skills, Yuki, if you decide to slack off and let them go to waste then when the time comes for you to help-."

"When the time comes for me to help will be meaningless, since it already passed me by." She finished in an irritated tone, "I know the stakes, Master. I just think that there should be a little more time for resting; you can't save lives with a half active brain."

Kayrn pounced on her, only to be blocked and pushed away. The blue dog lowered his head and put down his double-bladed keyblade for a moment. Taking in the opportunity, Yuki teleported behind him and kicked the dog high into the air. Teleporting once more, she appeared twirling around and then smacking him back down into the ground. Flipping over so that her torso was aimed at the ground, she pointed her blades down and let gravity do the rest. But, when she landed, Kayrn was nowhere in sight and she had to get back on her feet and pry her blades free. Suddenly, a howl was heard from her left and she immediately turned her attention to her right side. _That howl usually comes before an attack from the opposite direction! _Just as that thought entered her mind, the blue dog rammed into her side and sent her flying into a nearby training dummy.

"That hurt…so…damn much…" Yuki groaned as she climbed back onto her feet.

Kayrn shook himself from his dizziness, "How do you think I felt? My butt…"

His Lieutenant ignored him as she teleported over to her keyblades and then ripped them up from the ground, "Somebody's gonna **die**!"

"Now, now, Lieutenant," Kayrn's eyes began glowing green, "Don't challenge your superiors with such talk."

"Please, I am easily your equal in battle, Master." Yuki charged at him once more.

Kayrn dodged the attack and then jumped up onto a platform. Below him, Yuki relented and then took a step back. A smirk was plastered on her features as she snapped her fingers and lances formed out of pure energy appeared behind her. Yuki pushed her hand forward, as if commanding a unit to attack, and the lances flew towards the dog at a blinding speed. Kayrn nimbly dodged each lance and landed on his legs in front of her. A huff escaped Yuki's lips as the dog dismissed his keyblades.

"The second half of the match was a lot better than the first half. Keep fighting like that and you might not be such a lost cause after all." Kayrn stated, trotting off with his head high.

"W-what the hell do you mean a lost cause, you mangy mutt?" Yuki fumed as she followed after him, "I surpassed all of the trainers with ease and became the best fighter out of the entire faction! How dare you call me a lost cause?"

Kayrn snorted, "Save your energy for the coming battle, Lieutenant."

"You are a pain in the ass, _Master_." The woman curtly responded.

"The reverse is true enough…" Unfortunately, that statement pulled them into another argument.

-Fenrir Dining Hall & Kitchen, 4:30-

Xaldin poked his head into the doorway of the kitchen. There he saw a large plate full of freshly cooked bacon and another large plate next to it filled with eggs resting on a counter. As he kept scanning the room, his blue eyes widened at the sight of Zexion flipping pancakes onto yet another large plate and then setting it onto the counter as well. The Schemer turned around and acknowledged him with a smile and a nod as he put on an oven mitt and went to pull out a batch of muffins. The Lancer shook his head, shrugging off his surprise and moving to help.

"What can I do to help you today, Zexion?"

Zexion nodded over to the refrigerator, "Bring out the jars of orange juice and milk."

Xaldin nodded as the slate haired man put the muffins in a basket, "So what are you doing up this early, Zexion? I figured you'd be dead tired after coming back from the Tactical Center so late."

"Eh, I thought I should do something nice for the Organization. The Dining Hall is left all to ourselves since the soldiers eat in their own building. Plus, Roxas deserves something special as well."

"I doubt many of the others are awake just yet…" The Lancer commented as he left the kitchen to set the jars on the table.

Zexion followed with the basket of muffins looped onto one arm as he held the plates of pancakes and eggs, "Everyone was told to wake up early today to make preparations for battle, so they'll most definitely be here."

Xaldin regarded that with a slight nod as he went back in to get the bacon, "Do you think anyone would want to drink coffee?"

"I highly doubt that you'd want to even _consider_ making coffee. Axel told me what happened last time Demyx got a hold of some after arriving to the dining table late; no one wants a repeat of that."

"I wouldn't think he'd be late," Xaldin commented as he laid down some plates onto the table, "After all, Larxene would remember to kick him awake."

Zexion shrugged, "True enough, oh and don't bother with my plate. I already ate."

The Lancer paused and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, "Really now?"

"I had something to bite before I began cooking. Anyway, let me get the glasses and the utensils."

Shaking his head, Xaldin took his seat and waited for the others. Zexion returned to set the glasses and utensils down, and then disappeared off into the hallway. When he heard the doors open once more, Xemnas, Roxas and Vexen appeared. Shortly after, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Saix, Demyx and Larxene trailed in, which left Axel and Xigbar to be the late arrivals. It wasn't much of a surprise though, Axel tended to sleep in while Xigbar…well, he's Xigbar. Once the two arrived to join the others, Zexion stopped by once more. After sharing a brief glance with Xigbar and Larxene, the Schemer began to leave when Roxas went up to talk to him.

"Thanks for making breakfast, Zexion. I appreciate it." The blonde smiled for a moment, "I'll catch up with you at the Tactical Center."

Zexion returned the smile, "Your gratitude is completely unnecessary, but when you start to head for the Tactical Center, tell Marluxia to tag along."

Roxas nodded, "Got it, Master Zexion, see you there!"

Pausing for a moment, Zexion stared after the blonde. He shook his head and then walked out of the room for the last time. The Schemer tried to hide his surprise with a scowl as he grabbed his badge and gauntlets. _I'll have to remind him to not call me that._

-Tactical Center, Light Faction; 4:45-

Simone narrowed her eyes at the map in front of her and then sighed. Brushing aside a stray lock of hair, she looked over the plans once more. Another sigh left her lips as Captain Raes came walking in. He sadly watched as Simone kept running through things in her head. _You are always one to overanalyze things. Every time I see you like this makes me wish you'd let me help._ Clearing his throat, Marco walked beside her and glanced over the plans.

"Trying to fix things that don't need fixing, milady?" He inquired.

Simone groaned, "If something goes wrong more will die. I can't afford to lose anyone anymore. The plans need to be looked over so I don't lose Kayrn or Alaryn or even Zexion."

Marco raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I got the impression that you didn't care much for the Commander of the Twilight."

"I know, I'm sure everyone else is under that pretense," The green haired woman rubbed her temples, "Believe it or not, but I do care for the guy. He…reminds me so much of _them_. The way he acts is similar to how my brother used to act and the way he holds himself is so much like my dad."

"It seems like it goes farther than that, milady. If one didn't know any better, they'd assume you have some sort of infatuation with Master Zexion." The captain stated mildly, with a hint of jealousy in his tone.

She smacked his shoulder and then shook her head. Marco continued to smirk even as the Commander began swearing at him. He couldn't help it, her frustration was slightly endearing. After a minute of being cursed at, Marco looked over the plans and dismissed himself. Simone brushed another lock of hair from her face and followed after him.

-Tactical Center, Twilight Faction; 5:15-

Roxas waved a hand through the holographic map as Zexion explained what their part in the battle was. Marluxia was standing next to him and leaning against the table, listening intently to what Zexion was saying. Not too far off to the side, stood three of the Twilight's main tacticians and Captain Cale. The short man walked up to the table and pointed out some cliffs located at the south of the battlefield.

"Here is where our enemies will most likely have their encampment. Master Kayrn will have a unit sent over there to sabotage it and their supplies, but in order for them to get past we need a unit at the base of the cliff to cause a distraction." He stepped back to the side as Zexion walked around to examine the location he pointed out.

The Schemer nodded, "Lexaeus, Xaldin and a small unit will be able to provide a big enough threat there. However, you didn't let me finish my explanation."

Captain Cale bowed his head, "Forgive me, Master Zexion."

"An apology is completely unnecessary; anyhow, our forces will be providing reinforcements for Simone and Kayrn's operations. As Capt. Cale pointed out, Kayrn's unit will need help at the cliffs and around the battlefield's perimeter. Simone's forces will be assaulting the enemy head-on and we'll be helping them by flanking the House's forces."

Marluxia leaned closer to the hologram, "The battlefield seems quite…contained. What exactly are the Dawn's forces doing?"

The teen next to him answered, "They'll be providing cover from one of the Draegoons since they're more magic-oriented."

"I see, but you still haven't told me why you need me here." The Assassin stood back up.

Zexion shrugged, "You're my other lieutenant, Marluxia. Back at Castle Oblivion, despite your…intentions, you proved to be quite focused and strategic. You can command loyalty and lead others, I'm sure."

"I…am honored and a little…uh…speechless…" Marluxia replied, eyes widening.

Roxas patted him on the back, "I couldn't believe it when I was told I'd be his lieutenant either."

"If you're both wondering why I picked you two, I can explain another day. Roxas, round up our forces waiting at the Reception and then come back here, Marluxia, you need to get ahold of the rest of the Organization at bring them here."

They both nodded and left to do their tasks, as the three tacticians standing off to the side began speaking up. The Schemer rolled his eyes as the senior officer pointed out flaws in the idea of sending Xaldin and Lexaeus to the cliffs. Then, the other two voiced concerns about the Organization's involvement. Zexion raised his voice against them and a long winded speech was what he received in return from the senior officer. When the sounds of footsteps entered the tent, the two failed to notice as they argued.

"You have no right to say that about my father, you bastard!" Zexion yelled at the senior officer.

The officer merely shrugged, "He's a risk and is trigger happy, not to mention that one blonde kid. That kid is a flight risk; he wouldn't fight even if his life depended on it. We need more reliable people on the field."

A scowl was plastered onto the Schemer's features, "If you want things done your way, then participate in the battle! Otherwise you keep your damn thoughts about my friends and family to yourself!"

"Oh, you don't what me talking about your family, huh? Well then stop me from getting started on that **bitch** of a sister of yours. She's too damn crazy and a liability; hell, I bet she'd snap an infant in two if it annoyed her enough. That guy with a shield looks like a rapist and that blue haired mongrel needs a leash."

"Colonel Winston, if you continue to run your mouth off about my family and my friends, I will hurt you. My father will stand by his unit in battle and his aim is true, Demyx will fight for his home and those he cares about, Larxene is **not** a bitch and is perfectly sane, Vexen would never molest anyone and Saix's anger wins his battles. If you have a fucking problem with them, then I suggest you charge off into battle yourself and risk your own ass for the lives of a million—no, make that a billion—people. Otherwise, you will shut up and stand down."

Col. Winston balled his hand up into a fist, "I will not take orders from a _Nobody_ anymore! If anyone should be standing down, it should be you!"

One of the other tacticians put a hand on Winston's shoulder, "Hey, calm down, if Master Zexion trusts these people then you should accept that. Plus you never know _who_ is **listening** in on an argument like this."

"Like **I** give a damn if some Nobodies overhear what I have to say about them! And this one standing before me doesn't even deserve the title of Master! I've been serving for years and what do I get? A commanding officer who shouldn't even exist and a job around a bunch of paranoid freaks!" Winston stepped closer to Zexion and summoned his keyblade, "If anyone deserves that title, it should be **me**! **I** stood by our former commander until his final breath, **I** heard his final words and **I** managed our army a lot better than this _thing_ ever did!"

Zexion pushed him back, "Then be my guest and carry the lives of a bunch of people on your shoulders, tend to the wounded, comfort the recruits and train the soldiers day and night on an irregular schedule. Be my guest and lose sleep over the lives you lost and the innocents you couldn't save; wonder what would happen if something went right, wish you had a real heart or wish yourself dead! If you think it is so damn easy in my shoes than go ahead and live my life, go ahead and see if you can stand living at all."

"I wouldn't even have to worry about that, 'cause most of that stuff would never happen if I were in charge!" Winston lunged forward and struck Zexion across the face and then sliced down on his chest.

The Nobody fell back and suddenly, a cold metal blade rested on Winston's neck. His crazed green eyes went to look behind him and he whipped around. Pointing his blade at them with a shaky grip, Winston let out a crazed chuckle and then tried to attack the armed person. However, his attack was easily parried and he was pinned on the ground with a scythe pointed at his neck once more.

"The last person who should be in charge would be you." Marluxia looked to Xigbar, "Deal with him if you want; Vexen, go check on Zexion."

Xigbar had already been pointing one of his Arrowguns at Winston's head before lowering it to his side, "…Trigger happy, huh? My weapons do not work in Headquarters, so you wouldn't even know if I had a loose trigger finger."

Capt. Cale went over to Winston and then shackled him, "I shall deal with Winston and the others…"

As Cale and the other tacticians walked out, Zexion had propped himself on his elbow, "Damn that crazy old man…"

Vexen put a hand behind the younger man to support him, "Are you alright?"

"The mark on my face is barely even a flesh wound, but it stings a bit. Hell, his blade couldn't even go through my armor either."

Larxene helped him back onto his feet, "That bastard is so going to regret today. But, if you say you're okay then, alright."

"What did you call us here for any way?" Lexaeus asked, after watching the others leave.

Roxas inserted himself into the conversation, "You are all being assigned a mission to carry out for the duration of this battle. Lexaeus and Xaldin will lead a unit to the base of these cliffs here to distract the guards stationed there. Then Larxene, Demyx, Xemnas and Saix will pair off and lead units that will be flanking the enemy from the left."

"This leaves Roxas, Axel, Marluxia and I to flank the right as Xigbar, Luxord and Vexen focus on the perimeter, lighting markers for the Dawn's mages to focus their spells and creating distractions for the stealth teams to move in on the cliffs." Zexion added as he balanced himself against the table.

"Are you sure you want to fight with us?" Roxas questioned as he went to help Zexion stand.

"Of course, I'm just a bit winded. That old geezer sure knows how to hit someone hard…."

Marluxia gave Zexion a skeptical look then shook his head, "Then we shall head off to the rendezvous point and prepare the units."

-Darkness's Tent, 5:45-

"When this battle is over, I will kick your ass, Master." Yuki hissed as she paced around.

Kayrn rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his right ear, "As long as you know where you're unit is headed, I might allow us to have another spar."

The woman frowned and then went to leave, "Right, I'll get on that soon. So my unit will be meeting up with some of the Dawn's soldiers before we take out the field generator?"

"Correct, I do not know who they're sending to lead them. But if their fighting skills conflicts with your abilities, you have to pair up with someone else."

Yuki tilted her head to the side, "Why is it so important that I pair up with someone? I can get the generator destroyed with my own unit as the Dawn's unit creates a distraction."

"After what happened before…look, Lieutenant, I'd feel a lot better about this battle as long as you pair up with someone. The unit will be dispersed and you and your partner will be the ones to destroy the generator."

Observing the dog's body language, she nodded and began walking away from the tent, "As you say, Master. I will see you once the battle is over."

"Please do, Lieutenant, or by the Hearts' Mercy, I will mourn again." He slowly exited the tent from the other side.

Yuki lowered her head and walked away from the entrance, "I'll be sure to not be the cause of your sorrow, Master. I'm too smart for the House anyway."

Yuki teleported away from the tent in the blink of an eye. When she landed on her feet, she turned her head up to see the Reception. There were Draegoons in lines either for departure or engineering. Other Draegoons were just making pit stops at the landing platforms. Yuki paused to let a medical team rush by to bring some of the wounded to the Remedial Center, and once they were gone, she continued on to the Darkness platform with a slightly heavy heart.

"Thank the Hearts for the individuality of the Draegoons or I'd get lost every once in a while." A soldier stated as he brushed past her.

Yuki rolled her eyes and scanned the area for a moment, "Excuse me, Sergeant?"

A man wearing a black and red suit walked up to her, "At your service, Lieutenant Tomeo."

"Is the ship ready and boarded?" She asked as she watched people rush around in a hurry.

"Of course, Lieutenant," The sergeant bowed his head, "I will be the one flying you over there, so my ship is always prepared."

She scoffed, "Don't be a kiss up; it's unappealing to the eyes and the ears."

The pilot looked offended for a moment and then saluted her, "I will remember that in the future, Lieutenant."

"At any rate, let's get moving people! The Twilight has probably reached the battlefield; we don't want to keep 'em waiting!" The soldiers began scrambling onto the Draegoon as Yuki yelled at them to hurry up.

-Dawn's Tent, 8:36; Present-

"I swear, if this damn thing won't open, I'll fry one of my soldiers…" Alaryn groaned as Weavel continued to eat his food.

The brunet looked over his Commander's shoulder, "Let me see if I can figure that out."

Alaryn unwillingly handed it over, "That thing will give you white hairs and wrinkles before your time…"

Ignoring the cyborg's statement, Weavel set his plate aside and turned the canister over in his hands. He tapped his fingers along the cap and then gently turned it over. Alaryn moved closer to watch him as he held the canister so that the top was facing the ground. Weavel paused for a moment, slowly lifted it up and then flicked the side of the container. Suddenly, the 'bottom' of the canister flew up and the brunet stopped it from flying into his face by stopping it with his left hand and casting a telekinesis spell. Setting the canister down, he went back to eating his food.

"See, Master that was as easy as taking a nap." Weavel claimed smugly as he munched on a piece of toast.

Alaryn shook his head and then put the canister into a pouch connected to his belt, "Thank you Weavel, now on to business. We need to set up four units on each side of the Draegoon to cast spells onto the battlefield. But, I can't decide where we should ask Lystra to hover the _Reaver_."

"What's in the canister anyway?" Weavel suddenly asked as Alaryn paced around the map.

The cyborg groaned, "Now is not the time to ask stupid questions."

"There doesn't seem to be time for a lot of things, like asking questions or taking naps…" The brunet muttered, "But, seriously, what's in the canister?"

"Nothing important, Lieutenant Lonestar, so get to work already," Alaryn snapped back as he turned his head towards the map.

Weavel walked around the table so that he was across from the cyborg, "But it was important enough for you to want it opened so badly."

Alaryn groaned and zoomed in on the right flank of the battlefield, "Now, here is where I want your unit to meet up with Kayrn's secondary sabotage unit. One of the most important things you have to look out for is the-."

"Master, why does that canister matter so much to you?" Weavel asked once again, arms crossed.

The cyborg shook his head and gripped the edge of the table, "Nothing important to **you**, Lieutenant, I can assure you that much. Right now, I need you to round the troops and board _Reaver_."

"I'll annoy the answer out of you one day, Master." The brunet began walking out of the tent, "I hope to see you at the end of the battle…"

Alaryn quickly nodded, "I don't exactly plan on dying in the near future, so make sure you're still around as well."

"I don't plan on dying either!" Weavel replied as he walked off toward the Reception.

Sighing, Alaryn emptied the canister on a nearby desk, "We're hours behind schedule…this had better work."

"Не волнуйтесь так много, если она не работает, я не дал бы его вам." A gloved hand patted the cyborg's shoulder.

"So you say, but I still have my doubts. J'ai juste un mauvais pressentiment au sujet de la Twilight. Ils sont trop curieux. "

The hand fell from his shoulder and the Visitor began pacing, "True, true…what a pain for us to have to deal with such an undesirable group. They had potential, but then they began taking orders from that Nobody…any hope for them was lost."

"Such a pity," Alaryn agreed with a nod as he picked up a revolver, "So this is what I'm supposed to use?"

"It should make things go more smoothly, unless you have a better plan in mind?"

The cyborg muttered something incoherent to himself and then spoke up, "What if _he_ gets suspicious?"

A sigh left the Visitor's lips, "Then gather those who have been Established and then take care of the problem. I could care less about what happens to him."

"Then the operation will be initiated sooner than the others thought. Tell me, did were the other missions successful?"

"You are hardly of a high enough rank to ask _me_ of such things, but only two of the agents managed." The Visitor began leaving.

Alaryn chuckled darkly, "I shouldn't be surprised though…those two weren't mere goons."

_You fools should've seen it coming._

_-I kind of did. However, there never did seem to be a reason behind it.-_

_There was and anyone could've guessed it._

Simone paced around, "Where the hell are Alaryn's units? They were supposed to be here by now!"

"I'd like to believe that perhaps something came up, I would hate to assume we have a traitor in our midst; although recent events…" Zexion remarked as he stood in front of the area map.

Yuki scoffed, "I wouldn't find that hard to believe, but if Weavel was also a traitor, then I wouldn't know what to think of that."

"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves with a bunch of assumptions. There is still time before the House's forces are supposed to arrive." Captain Raes defended, "We should be focusing on the fact that these jackasses are targeting one of our nearby outposts here. If they were to get past us and find the caves leading there, we'd be more than a step behind our enemies."

Kayrn cleared his throat and then jumped up onto a pedestal to look at the map, "Why couldn't this damn thing be a holographic map? This is frustrating seeing it like this…"

"Never thought I'd ever hear a dog complain about not having technology," Roxas commented with Marluxia nodding in agreement.

Zexion rolled his eyes, "I would imagine you would be able to see it from the ground. We drew it on a clear board."

"Well, _I_ don't like this 'clear board'. It is such a frustrating item." The dog jumped down from the pedestal and sat down in front of the board, "I can't even see our location."

"We haven't even drawn the enemy positions yet. Once Alaryn and Weavel get here, we'll go over the plan of action once more."

Yuki walked over to stand in front of the map, "I'm gonna bet that Master Alaryn and the Idiot don't even know what the strategy is; we went over it while waiting for them to arrive in the Chamber for Master Alaryn's trial."

A sigh left Simone's lips, "I had forgotten to inform them."

"At least they know that most of their units will be handling the air assault, so they aren't completely uninformed." Marluxia stated.

Suddenly, a whir and a grunt was heard from outside. The sounds were followed by Weavel clumsily stumbling into the tent. Yuki snickered at his misfortune as Marco and Zexion helped him to his feet. Alaryn stepped in while shaking his head at his lieutenant, and then bowed to all of the other officers present. Simone regarded him in relief and then nodded to Zexion.

The cyborg stood up and crossed his arms, "Forgive me for the slight delay; some of my officers weren't prepared."  
>"Why do I get the feeling that it was Weavel who wasn't prepared? Then again, I shouldn't be surprised at that fact." Yuki commented.<p>

Kayrn attempted to hide his grin as he spoke to Alaryn, "I trust that all of your soldiers are well-prepared to deal with the aerial units and to provide support to those on the ground."

"Of course, but I wasn't told what tactics we're using." He looked around the tent and then focused on the board, "I suppose this is to be used for reference."

Zexion nodded, "One of the strategies for this battle is one of my personal favorites and a tactic that my soldiers are well trained in. I'm sure that you're familiar with it, 'The Three-Pronged Talon'."

"Uh…I don't believe I know that maneuver." Alaryn admitted nervously.

"It is merely a personalized version of the 'Pincer Tactic'. So allow me to visualize the entire plan for you," The slate haired man picked up a blue marker, "The House will set up their camp up on the cliffs to the north while we are here at the southern edge. Simone and her men will attack from the center, while my soldiers will cover the flanks. Kayrn and a few of the other Darkness units will head to the House's encampment to sabotage it. You're faction will oversee the battle in the Draegoons, flying in the Diamond Formation and provide aerial support, while also dealing with any of the House's aerial assaults. Some of my men will help create a distraction at the base of the cliffs here, where the House's forces will most likely be sending most of their men while others will signal you to focus on a certain part of the perimeter."

Alaryn tilted his head, "You seem to have everything quite…organized. One would think that there wouldn't be any flaws in your planning."

"There are always flaws, Alaryn." Zexion replied as he took a step back to examine the map fully, "The enemy may have a countermeasure prepared or they might not even be located at those cliffs. Any slight change to the field will either be in our favor or it will be a blade in our side. Keep an open mind about you in the field, the strategy is merely a guideline; if something occurs to change the situation drastically, look for the chance to improvise and then take it."

Kayrn growled, "Let's hope that the field is in our favor today. I don't want to lose too much here."

"I agree with you, but Master Zexion's right, anything can happen. So unless the situation changes, stick to the plan." Simone brushed a lock of hair from her face and fixed her circlet, "We should begin preparations soon, and I hope to see all of you after the battle."

Weavel nodded, "Agreed, I'd hate to die here. I sure someone would miss me."

"I hope you aren't directing that statement in my direction, Idiot." Yuki said with a grin.

Marluxia rolled his eyes as they quietly argued, "I don't think I have an appointment with death just yet. This cause is something worth fighting and living for, keyword on living."

"Should any of us die out there, I'd like to just say thank you. You've all fought for a noble cause and it is an honor to be a part of it now." Roxas saluted them with a fist over his heart and then went to stand beside Marluxia at the tent's exit.

"War demands things of us continuously, the cycle will never stop. Whether it is noble or corrupt, we must make a choice that affects many lives or just our own. This war has taken many lives just as any other war; if a sacrifice must be made to help stop it then I would gladly fall here to make it end. As long as the House does not reach another outpost to kill thousands more, then this will be worth it."

Simone looked at him in disbelief, "You don't know if it really would be worth it, Master Zexion. The Council still needs your input."

"We have to win this war, no matter what the costs. If the House manages to overtake all of our outposts here, then this world is lost; then another will fall and another one after that. Each world holds an importance to the rest; if we lose here, then other worlds won't even stand a chance." Zexion saluted the other officers and slightly bowed, then took his leave with his lieutenants in tow.

Alaryn watched him leave and then turned to Kayrn and Simone, "He seemed to be more talkative today than any other day."

"There is a possibility for death for all of us, and I am glad that he spoke more than usual. If I died then I'd want to be remembered for words like that, words that signal a strong leader. Hell, I think I'm starting to respect him." Kayrn replied as he scratched the back of his ear.

The cyborg shook his head, "You aren't serious are you? He doesn't even really exist, I mean, he's a _Nobody_."

"I hope that one day you'll come to accept him, Alaryn," Simone commented as she began leaving, "Zexion's becoming a leader that we should look up to, not some mere soldier we should look down on for a simple flaw. Once this is over we shall discuss giving him his complete heart."

"You are both under some kind of illusion of his, I swear." Alaryn muttered as he and Weavel left.

_It is a pity that your doubt was initially misplaced._

_-I doubted everyone on the Council, but the faint emotions I had told me to put off that doubt; the incident didn't help at all either.-_

Marluxia shifted on his feet as he stood beside Zexion, "You weren't serious about what you said, were you?"

"Death saves lives and life will soon bring death, a circle of irony." The Schemer replied as he twirled his keyblades in his hands.

"But…that's going a bit far isn't it? You'll die for people who don't even know or care about you." Roxas piped up as he summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his hands.

"Man, whatever happened at the meeting must've been tense. I don't like where you are all going with this, what are you all talking about?" Axel asked as he juggled his chakrams.

Zexion turned to look at the Key, the Flurry and then to the Assassin before focusing on the empty field in front of him, "I am fighting for those that don't care for me and I am possibly fighting alongside those that don't care about me or care to know me. However, I will most definitely die for them; I'll die for all of you, no matter what you think of me."

Axel's eyes widened, "That's harsh… how can you say that?"

"Zexion…" Marluxia uncrossed his arms and reached out for the Schemer's shoulder, "We never said that we don't care about you."

"You never said that you cared either; just as actions have an impact on words, words need to be spoken to believe your actions." The slate haired man stated as he stretched out his arms.

The Assassin looked to Roxas and Axel with a raised eyebrow, "I don't understand."

"You don't need to, just be prepared. Sergeant, signal the left flank!" Zexion put his left foot forward and put his weight on his back leg, "Now is the time to let our convictions show and give our enemies Hell."

A sigh left the Flurry's lips, "Great talk, everyone…stay alive, especially you Zexy, so we can talk more."

"That's an excellent idea. Marluxia, make sure we'll see him again." Roxas and Axel began moving away from them.

Marluxia nodded and then prepared to charge into battle, "May the Hearts show mercy and have the battle lean into our favor."

_You are a fool to have placed trust in me._

_-Although I doubted everyone in the Council for their intentions, I trusted in their abilities; especially yours, sir.-_

"Hey look over there, is that the signal?" Demyx wondered as he turned to face the right flank.

Xemnas was surveying the field, "They've lit it with good reason, so you better prepare yourselves for battle. The House might not be prepared for an attack like this, but that doesn't mean they won't have something waiting for us."

"Right, but if it's some kind of machine, I should be able to overload it with a few bursts of lightning." Larxene commented as she readied her kunai.

Saix snarled, "The moon may not be here to help me, but I'll be sure to break some bones anyway."

The Superior grinned as his Ethereal Blades appeared, "Now to wait for Simone to charge. Everyone get in place! Demyx, Larxene, when we're pressing the attack, go ahead and charge until your covering the northern area with your men. Saix and I will hold the fort here."

"Alright, be sure to stay alive." Larxene nodded as she and Demyx went off to stand with their unit.

Saix shook his head, "Nobody plans on dying here today."

One of the soldiers behind them suddenly yelled out, "The House sent out their Devastation Squads!"

"Light the signal and let Simone know we're ready!" Xemnas yelled back.

Some distance away, Demyx was holding onto Arpeggio tightly, "S-Show time, huh Larxene?"

The Nymph nodded and patted his shoulder, "I'll be right beside you, quit being such a coward."

"Just…stay in sight." Demyx breathed out as he tried to relax.

-Light Faction-

"Commander, both of the flanks are ready. We're waiting for your command." A colonel saluted her.

Marco yawned, "Now or never milady, let's make this battle count."

Simone looked around her and then nodded, "Focus your attack on the heavily armored soldiers, which should let the others get past them. FIGHT FOR THOSE WE HAVE LOST!"

Soldiers cheered, the collected sounds of their armor creating a slight roar as they rushed forward. They clashed with some of the Devastation Squads. Simone drove her keyblade through one of the soldiers clad in dark green, while Captain Raes was beating one on the head and then threw him into a group of his comrades. Briefly looking to the side, Simone noted that the flanks were successfully blocked off by the Twilight faction. She twirled around, hitting four soldiers and then dashed to the side. Marco formed a fist with his left hand and then sent a wave of energy through the soldiers, allowing some of the Light's men to rush past them.

Not too far from them, Sora had slashed a soldier down with Riku at his back. Kairi was also with them, smacking soldiers to the side. But as Sora was preoccupied with a pair of soldiers, another managed to push Riku and Kairi away and aimed to drive her keyblade through the teen's back. Riku whipped around in time to see this, but was interrupted by more soldiers trying to swarm him. A familiar cry of Sora's name was heard and a shield flew towards the soldier, knocking her flat on the ground. Meanwhile, a torrent of fire blasted away some of the soldiers that surrounded Kairi as a blast of light saved Riku from being sliced in half. Cutting away a path through the swarm of soldiers was Mickey, Donald and Goofy. All three teens were thankful for the rescue; soon they all teamed up and continued to fight, although a bit reluctant to kill off their attackers.

-The Cliffs, Perimeter Team-

"Looks like we better make our way around and mark some places for the Dawn to focus their magic," Luxord commented as he observed the battle from his vantage point.

The Brit set down his binoculars as Vexen and Xigbar stood beside him, "Man, why the Hell can't we be down there?"

"You know why Xigbar, our mission is important. I'm sure once we've done our part up here, we'll be allowed to go down there and help." Vexen stated confidently.

Xigbar rolled his eye, "Yeah and _I'm_ one to follow orders. As if."

Luxord grasped onto the Freeshooter's arm, "Xigbar, luv, you know that if we don't do this, people will die. You even promised Zexion you'd carry out this task until we could head down there."

"I know that, it's just frustrating to see my kids fight while I'm stuck up here." Vexen patted him on the back.

"Well, the faster that we get done with this task, the faster you'll be able to see them. Let's go now before it becomes too late."

"Right behind you mate!" Luxord jogged to catch up with the Academic.

Xigbar looked to the field and then went to catch up, "Wait up!"

-The Cliffs, Sabotage Team-

"Move, move, move, we've got a limited amount of time before the House gets wind of our plans!" Yuki shouted out to her unit as they dashed towards the encampment.

She glanced to the side to see the figure of Master Kayrn dashing around with his unit desperately trying to keep up. Returning her focus to the task at hand, she stopped her unit and signaled them to hide behind the larger tents. Taking a look around, she looked up at one of the Draegoons and impatiently tapped her foot. Some of her men proceeded to ambush some of the soldiers keeping watch, effectively eliminating some of the House's chances to contact the Spire for reinforcements. Moments later, blasts of fire, ice and wind hailed down onto the camp and Weavel appeared with some of the Dawn's soldiers.

"Did I keep you waiting too long?" The brunet smirked, only to be smacked on the forehead.

Yuki began walking over to the field generator, "Honestly, you've got to keep up if you want people to stay alive."

The Dawn Lieutenant muttered an apology before trailing after her, "So, you know what you're doing?"

"We plant explosives on it and then run the hell away from here." The woman replied.

"No," Weavel pinched the bridge of his nose, "You'll plant explosives throughout the camp to make sure they have no more supplies, but we'll be sure to snag the medical supplies for the Remedial Center. All we really need to do to this piece of junk is smash it to bits."

Lieutenant Tomeo rolled her eyes, "Which makes blowing it up sound much easier."

"We create an explosion now; it will attract our enemies' attention. Our units aren't prepared to deal with soldiers head-on." Weavel insisted.

"Fine, have it your way. Let's smash it then." Yuki began striking it with her keyblades as Weavel aided her by striking the other side.

-The Base of the Northern Cliffs-

Xaldin snapped his fingers and a tornado of his lances eliminated some of the soldiers in the immediate area, only to have more to begin swarming in. Lexaeus was smacking soldiers into the ground and summoning pillars of earth to crash into a wave of soldiers. Swinging Skysplitter around, he sent a wall of earth into another group of soldiers as Xaldin sent his lances out to pierce some of the soldiers around him. Over time, they found themselves standing back to back with a sea of soldiers around them. Xaldin commanded two twisters to form and suck up some of the soldiers, but they seemed to keep on coming.

"By the Hearts' Mercy, there is no way to create a dent in their forces!" Xaldin exclaimed as he dodged a blade and then countered by stabbing the soldier and tossing him to the side.

Lexaeus was about respond until they heard a hissing sound, "Wait, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, but I'm just wondering whether or not it's a good thing." Xaldin answered.

Suddenly, a rain of fireballs and lightning struck the soldiers surrounding them until they had a clear view of the battle raging on toward the center of the field. Above them, a figure that resembled Xigbar nodded at them and then ran off.

-Right Flank-

Zexion narrowly dodged a flurry of attacks as he moved in to strike one of the House's officers. He twirled the keyblade in his left hand around and then stabbed a soldier trying to attack him from behind. Meanwhile, Marluxia swung his scythe around, knocking many soldiers over. Then he raised his scythe and then struck down on one of the prone soldiers, dragging them with the blade lodged in their chest and then snapping the scythe up and swinging to the side to impale another soldier. The Schemer rejoined him and then paused. Signaling for Marluxia to follow his lead, Zexion then ran toward an area where their enemies weren't in. As they got there, soldiers moved in from behind. Zexion gave Marluxia a nod, which then led to the Assassin swinging down his scythe and then jerking it back. The soldier who was caught by the blade was pulled toward the slate haired man. Driving the keyblade he held in his right hand to the ground, Zexion used his free hand to cast a wave of ice that shot forward and then spread out to the side, creating a 'T'.

"That should make room for us to get moving. We must check up on our unit!" Zexion dashed forward with the Assassin following close behind.

Meanwhile, Axel was burning many soldiers down whenever he released a circle of fire as Roxas was spinning around and smacking enemies away from himself. Suddenly, the blonde was tackled to the ground by some kind of monster that had razor sharp teeth and large sword-like arms. Attempting to push it off, Roxas yelled out for Axel to help him. The monster shrieked at him and then raised one of its arms to stab him in the face. Yelling out once again, Roxas tried harder to get out from underneath the monster.

"Roxas," Axel yelled out in response as he threw one of his chakrams at the monster, smacking it a good distance away from the blonde.

The Key scrambled back onto his feet as the monster jumped back up and then shrieked again, this time its mouth widened to show a bladed tongue. A sound of disgust left Axel's lips as he stood beside Roxas. Letting out another shriek, its tongue was launched at them. Taking a defensive stance in front of the dazed blonde, Axel prepared to be struck down.

-Draegoon-

"They've got a marker down at the left flank! Blast that machine down at the southern edge! Have you contacted the other Draegoons?" Alaryn barked orders as he was busy casting a lightning storm down on the enemies at the northern edge of the field.

Soldiers ran to and fro around him as they dashed to complete their orders. Alaryn's shoulders slumped after he was done casting. One of the soldiers reported that the other Draegoons reported clear skies, but the magicians were beginning to tire from providing support to all the marked areas. A sigh left the cyborg as he walked away from his position and then looked to the pistol that was strapped to his belt. Suddenly, alarms blared and his attention snapped up to see that one of the engines had been taken out and the Draegoon was about to crash down onto the center of the field. _That's one Hell of a signal._

"But, I'm beginning to doubt this course of action…what if…" The cyborg watched as everyone rushed back into the interior of the Draegoon and slowly followed, "What if we are wrong? Perhaps—no, no, what am I thinking. I have a duty to attend to."

-Left Flank-

Larxene spun around and threw some of her kunai at the soldiers. Some screamed as they were electrocuted, others fell without a sound. Demyx stood beside her as he played his sitar to summon water clones to distract the soldiers. When they were all cut down, he brought up a water shield to protect himself and Larxene as their enemies tried to close in on them. But, then some of the soldiers from their unit took this opportunity to strike them down from behind. The Nymph smiled at them in gratitude as she recalled her kunai to her hand. Demyx sat on the ground and sighed in relief as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Some of the soldiers snickered at his behavior before heading back out into the fray. After regaining some form of being calm, the Nocturne hopped back up and followed Larxene into the heat of the battle.

At the southern end of the left flank, Saix was cutting down enemies by threes and would occasionally smash his fist through one of their faces to knock down a soldier that stood behind them. The Diviner then swung his claymore around to smack multiple soldiers away, while Xemnas floated up and then summoned lasers to attack their enemies from above. As the soldiers were distracted by the laser assault, the Superior closed in on them and quickly struck them down and then turned around to slice down any more incoming soldiers.

-Right Flank-

Axel stood frozen in his spot for another minute before opening his eyes and gasping. Roxas sidestepped to see what had his friend gaping. In front of them stood Zexion, holding off the monster's bladed tongue. Marluxia wasn't too far from him, keeping the soldiers from swarming the Schemer. Apparently the monster's tongue could reach out for 30 feet and then the blades on its tongue would sharpen to impale its victim. Luckily, Zexion was just holding its tongue off by taking a defensive stance with his keyblades.

"Axel…I need…you to…cut its tongue…" The Commander ground out as the monster's bladed tongue tried to reach out even further.

The redhead nodded, rushing forward and striking down on the monster's tongue with his chakram. It screeched in agony as it leapt back. Zexion twirled his keyblades and then took a step forward. The monster hissed and launched itself onto him, knocking the Nobody down. Marluxia tried to help smack it off, but he was forced away by more soldiers and some of the men and women on their side. Axel attempted to help Zexion, but he was forced to stay by Roxas's side since the blonde couldn't find the strength to raise his arms and defend himself. The last thing they saw of Zexion before the battling soldiers obscured their view was the Schemer forcing himself to stand back up after tossing the monster's corpse away, only to have four more monsters latch onto him and bring him down.

"What the Hell are those things?" The Flurry yelled as he struck down a soldier.

Roxas narrowed his eyes and dodged an attack, then knocked his attacker down by rushing into her, "I don't know, but we have to find a way to get to Zexion!"

Marluxia was weaving his way through the bloodshed to get to the Schemer. However, four dark green clad soldiers intercepted him and knocked him back. The Assassin retaliated by slashing down and sending a wave of energy to blast them away. Once they were out of his way for the moment, he got ready to smack away the monsters. Unfortunately, an explosion from the center of the battlefield blinded him and sent everyone on the field onto their backs.

-Cliffs, The House's Encampment-

"Shit, that was the Draegoon Master Alaryn was in!" Weavel rushed to the edge as he saw the ship burst up into flames where it crashed, killing everyone caught in the blast.

Yuki walked up beside him, "It looked like it caught everyone off guard. Hey wait…what's that weird looking thing over there?"

The brunet looked over to where she pointed, "I don't know, but it's moving and something's moving under it…"

Lieutenant Tomeo began dashing around the cliffs to reach a vantage point over the spot of the 'weird thing'. Weavel took another glance at the burning ship and then rushed after her, with their units not too far behind. While they were making their way over to the cliffs above the 'weird thing', another explosion occurred and the battlefield was eerily still. Suddenly, the 'weird thing' dispersed and someone was trying to stand up. Yuki stopped in her tracks to face their units.

"Alright, I need all of you to head over to the crash site. Water down the flames and see if there were any survivors." She looked over the edge of the cliff, "Weavel and I will go see if that person's alright."

The soldiers headed off to do their newly assigned task as Weavel and Yuki teleported down near the person from the 'weird thing'.

-Kayrn-

"Damn…tout est allé en enfer…" The dog paused as he looked over the battlefield.

Nothing seemed to move, until he noticed the figure standing in the center of some odd looking creatures. Scratching the back of his ear, Kayrn leapt down from the cliffs, landing on a rock column and then jumped off that to land on the ground. He sniffed the air and then the ground, noting that most people were unconscious for the time being, but Kayrn was certain very few would even repoen their eyes. The blue dog trotted around the prone soldiers and then turned to face the fallen Draegoon. Releasing a growl, he rushed off towards it.

-Crash Site-

Orange flames burst out from the side of the Draegoon, causing the hull to collapse. Snapping his head up, Alaryn raised an arm up to protect his head from any broken panels. Once he saw that none were falling anytime soon, the cyborg began crawling towards an exit. The flames seemed to grow larger and some parts of the ship were collapsing behind him. Alaryn grunted in effort as he continued to crawl out towards an area that wasn't bathed in flames; he spotted a white light shining in from a hole. A metal bar fell just an inch away from his visor as he crawled out. The cyborg counted his blessings and tried to move around the bar. Suddenly, a silhouette appeared in front of the hole and reached out to him. Alaryn gratefully grasped onto the offered hand and was pulled out.

"Thank the Hearts, Master Alaryn is alive." Shaking his head to adjust to the light, Alaryn saw a hooded soldier with a few armored Dawn members rushing behind him.

The cyborg tried to get onto his feet, "It's good to see some people are up and running."

A smirk was on the soldier's features as he helped Alaryn up, "Lieutenant Tomeo sent us here to collect survivors; did you happen to see any other people trapped as you were on your way out?"

"Unfortunately no, I just woke up and saw that everything was on fire." Alaryn replied as he moved to sit down.

"I see," The soldier's mouth moved into a frown, "Such a pity…some of our best taken down by something that was unseen."

A blue blur knocked the Darkness soldier over and rammed into Alaryn. Taken by surprise, Alaryn fell over and struggled with the animal on top of him. Refocusing his gaze once more, Alaryn realized that Kayrn had attacked him. Kayrn snarled and barked at him, even going so far as to bite into his shoulder. Crying out, the cyborg finally forced the dog off and then struggled to his feet. The dog had no trouble getting back up and got into a fighting stance. Then, two members from the units got in-between them. Glancing to the Draegoon, Kayrn noticed that they had stopped the fires.

"Out of my way, we need to settle things between us." The blue dog snapped as he summoned his keyblade.

Alaryn held onto his shoulder, "Settle things? What the Hell do you mean by that? We haven't disputed over anything before!"

-Light-

"Damn that hurt my back…" Marco shoved a corpse away from him as he sat up.

Looking around, he saw all the bodies that lay around him. Comrades and enemies alike, downed by the explosion; the entire scene was frightening and threw the captain out of his game. Marco slowly got onto his feet and held his head. Shaking his head and fixing his helmet, Marco carefully stepped around the bodies. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar shade of green amongst the fallen and rushes over. He fell to his knees and held Simone close. The captain took a shaky breath and strained to hear her uneven breathing; also beginning to hear some other soldiers' faint breathing.

Blinking back tears, Marco finally finds his voice, "L-Lady Simone…milady, please wake up."

The only reaction he received was Simone's breathing abruptly coming to a stop, deepening his fears, "Milady, don't die on me. I…I won't allow you to die here. Please…"

Marco hugged her limp form and then put an arm under her knees. Then his violet eyes scanned the area, desperately trying to find any allies still standing. Looking back down at Simone, he began walking around the field of bodies. He looked back at where their camp was, but decided that it was too far and then looked around the Draegoon. Spotting movement on the other side and hearing shouts, he quickly headed over there.

"Hearts, please show mercy and let whoever or whatever I find be friendly." Raes prayed as he maneuvered around the fallen and unconscious.

-Right Flank-

"By the Hearts, it's Master Zexion! He must be wounded or something!" Weavel exclaimed as he and Yuki neared the figure.

Yuki nodded and then looked around, "Who would've thought that a single Draegoon could do so much damage?"

The man beside her shrugged and then rushed ahead of her. Yuki sighed and teleported ahead. Dropping beside the Nobody, she looked back to see Weavel just arriving. He scowled at her for a moment and then walked in front of Zexion. The slate haired man was slightly hunched over and favored his left leg. Closer inspection revealed that his right side was open, dripping with blood and his left arm held onto his right shoulder. A gash that mimicked the one they had seen when Alaryn had collected on his end of the deal could be seen.

"Master Zexion," Weavel went over to support the taller male's right side, "Let me heal you. We just need to find a place for you to sit and-."

Zexion slowly raised his head and then pushed the brunet aside, "No. You must check on the others."

Yuki narrowed her eyes, "This isn't the time to be bull-headed, Master. The circumstances demand that your wounds be tended to."

"Screw the circumstances, my lieutenants…I need to know where Marluxia and Roxas's condition." The Nobody began limping away.

"There's no way you'll make it without healing, Master." Weavel argued as he ran in front of the Nobody.

Zexion pushed him aside as he neared the place where Marluxia lay unconscious. He slowly knelt down and then checked for a pulse. Upon finding one, he stood and began walking towards the area where he last saw Axel and Roxas. Yuki glared at the Nobody for a moment and then sighed; rushing to his side and helping him walk. The brunet behind her turned to help Marluxia.

"Lieutenant Tomeo, I can walk on my own." The Schemer insisted as he pulled away from her.

Yuki sighed and watched for a moment as he stumbled forward towards Roxas, "Sure, you look perfectly fine. Being a little pale and somewhat bloody is a _fine_ way to show that you're ok."

The Schemer scowled as he checked for a pulse from the blonde and then from Axel, who wasn't too far from Roxas, "Your concern is appreciated, but entirely unnecessary."

Just then, Weavel and Marluxia walked over to them, "Master Zexion, honestly, you're being ridiculous."

"This isn't very smart on your part, Zexion. Plus, this isn't making much sense; you've let others help you before." Marluxia added in as he helped the slate haired man up.

Zexion ignored all of them and then looked toward the Draegoon, "I need to find the others. They're most likely on the other side of the crash site; hopefully none of them were caught in the radius of the crash and were just knocked over by the shockwave it created."

"You're being unreasonable," Yuki tried to argue once more, "I know you have concerns about your friends and family, but they'd be worried for you as well."

Marluxia nodded in agreement with her, though Zexion couldn't see, "Your condition matters to them as well."

"While near the Draegoon, we should take a moment to investigate what's causing that commotion." The other Nobody muttered before opening a Portal, "I'm not staying here to be babied."

Looking at the lieutenants, Marluxia shrugged and followed after the Nobody before the Portal closed. Weavel shook his head and then knelt down to tend to Roxas and Axel. Yuki smacked her forehead and then grumbled something about Zexion being stubborn and idiotic, before she too knelt down to help the unconscious Nobodies. Glancing up towards the Draegoon, they could see someone releasing a wave of energy. It traveled across the battlefield, knocking several bodies aside before it collided with the cliffs where the House's camp was built.

-Left Flank-

Saix slowly pushed himself up and then looked around. Across from him, Xemnas sat up and held his head in his hands. Towards the northern half of the battlefield, his amber gaze caught sight of Demyx helping Larxene up. Then, the Diviner stood up and dusted himself off and then looked toward their camp. It wasn't damaged but then he noticed three figures running over to him. Narrowing his eyes, Saix tried to figure out who they were. But, they reached him first and the three turned out to be the Perimeter Team.

"Talk about a change of plans, eh?" Luxord stated as he grabbed onto the Diviner's shoulder, "But, I'm glad to see you guys are alright."

Saix stiffly shrugged, "I would rather have had things go more smoothly, but as long as my friends aren't dead, I'm good."

"That is quite agreeable, however, I need you to hold still for a moment so I can check for any wounds," Vexen stated before examining Saix's arms, back and then neck.

Xigbar ran past them toward Larxene and Demyx. Luxord made sure that Xemnas was able to stand and walk before slowing down time and running over to the Freeshooter's side. Snapping his fingers, time went back to normal and they were running side-by-side toward the two younger Nobodies. Demyx was just sliding Larxene's arm behind his neck to support her when they arrived.

"Xigbar, Luxord man it's good to see you guys are okay." Demyx slightly relaxed once he saw them.

Larxene smiled, "Dad, I was getting a little worried."

"I'm always gonna show up, especially when my kids need help." Xigbar replied as he went to support her right, "Where are you hurt?"

"I think it's just my left ankle, I must've fallen on it when the blast hit." The blonde replied as Xigbar let go, "Demyx should be able to help me get around for now."

"It looks like none of the soldiers will be getting up anytime soon, so you're lucky. Once Vexen sees to your ankle, you should be fine." Luxord stated as he went to walk beside Xigbar.

Demyx sighed, "That blast scared me… I thought we were all dead for sure."

"Don't be such a wimp, Dem. We're too tough to die from a shockwave." Larxene chided.

"Yeah, yeah, but even so, the whole thing terrified me. I sure hope that Zexion and the others-." A blast of energy hitting the cliffs caught his eye.

Luxord raised an eyebrow, "What is it, mate? You see something interesting over there?"

"You didn't see that? Some kind of blast hit those cliffs over there. I think it came from that group of people over there!" He nodded over to the crash site.

The other three Nobodies turned their gaze towards the crash site. They saw Alaryn and Kayrn with their keyblades drawn, circling around each other. Suddenly, Captain Raes could be seen appearing with Simone in his arms as a Portal opened. Zexion and Marluxia stepped out of the Portal, the slate haired Nobody was covered in blood. Upon seeing the Schemer injured, Xigbar began running over to him.

Luxord sighed, "Your father keeps forgetting he can phase around the area…"

Larxene frowned at the sight of her brother and then nudged Demyx. The other Nobody nodded and began walking over there with her. It wasn't long before Vexen, Xemnas and Saix joined them.

-Base of the Cliffs-

Lexaeus rubbed his forehead as he groggily awoke. He found himself in a sitting position against the cliffs with soldiers on the ground. A pile of them began moving, only to reveal Xaldin. The Lancer shoved the bodies away and then waded out from the pile. Then the Hero stood up from his position to meet up and then noticed the commotion at the crash site. As he pointed it out to his companion, a wave of energy was rapidly approaching them and they had to dive out of the way. Once it had collided with the cliff, rocks began falling down around them. So the two hurried away from the cliffs and toward the crash site to investigate what or who had created that wave.

-Crash site-

"What the Hell are you trying to prove here?" Alaryn shouted as he dodged an attack from Kayrn.

The dog snarled and lunged at him once again, "You should know."

"Well, I don't fucking know," The cyborg hissed back as he cast firaga, "Chien cul fou…I haven't done anything wrong to you!"

Kayrn leapt up and spun around, releasing a wave of energy from his keyblade. Releasing a gasp, Alaryn rolled out of the way and then brought up his claw to deflect another attack. The dog jumped back and then lowered his head. Before Alaryn could move in to attack, the whoosh of a closing Portal could be heard along with approaching footsteps. He turned around to see Marco setting Simone down so one of the Dawn soldiers could see her and then a wounded Zexion limping over with his pink haired lieutenant in tow. Off in the distance, Weavel and Yuki were rushing over with Roxas and Axel behind them.

The cyborg sidestepped an attack and then struck the back of Kayrn's head with the guard of his keyblade, "Oh Hearts…"

Zexion stopped limping and then stared at the scene, "You two better have a damn good reason to be arguing like this."

"What's all this about?" Simone suddenly piped up as she sat up.

The soldier examining her set a hand on her shoulder, "Milady, please just lay down against this rock. I'm sure the others can settle this on their own."

The woman huffed, "Last time I didn't speak up during an argument between Council members led to the death of my brother and father, along with many others."

A grunt was heard and everyone turned their attention to Alaryn and Kayrn. Now the dog had the cyborg pinned to the ground, as he barked in his visor and smacked him with his paw. Casting aero, Alaryn tossed the dog to the side and then got up. But, Kayrn tackled him down again and this time, he tried to bite the cyborg's neck.

"Both of you stop it right now!" Zexion yelled, his voice echoed throughout the field, "I demand an explanation for this dispute."

Wrestling his attacker off, Alaryn replied, "Ask the damn dog about it."

Turning his gaze to Kayrn, the Schemer slowly raised his right arm. As he used his left arm to support his right, Zexion telepathically lifted the dog into the air. Kayrn snarled and wriggled around but that didn't help him. The Schemer took a step toward the dog and narrowed his cobalt eyes.

"What started all this shit, Master Kayrn?" Marluxia rushed to support the slate haired man as he suddenly lost balance.

Kayrn wriggled more, "I have something to settle with Alaryn."

"Yeah, the fuck you do…" The cyborg muttered, "You just attacked me for no good reason."

"I do have reasons for what I do, Alaryn." Zexion rolled his eyes as the two argued.

Alaryn shook his head, "Care to let me know what those reasons are?"

"Just think of this as a form of retribution." Kayrn responded as Zexion let him back down.

The cyborg sighed, "Chien Damned, je n'ai pas fait de la merde à vous!"

"Vous êtes un menteur!" The dog shot back.

Zexion held his head in his hands while leaning into Marluxia, "Both of you are giving me a damn headache. Can we just settle this calmly or at least at a faster pace than yelling insults in French?"

Kayrn nodded as he dashed past Alaryn and then ran back to where he once stood, "Agreed."

"What the Hell did you just do?" The cyborg checked his belt to find the pouch was gone, "Oh shit."

By this time, they had gathered an audience as Weavel, Yuki, the other Nobodies and Sora & Co. arrived. Simone was standing off to the side with her arms crossed; Marco wasn't too far from her. Roxas ran up beside Zexion as the two Council members 'glared' at each other. Suddenly, waves of dark green energy surrounded Kayrn after he had emptied the pouch. Picking up the revolver in his mouth, he began levitating.

"Things are just getting interesting, aren't they?" Marco commented as he took a step in front of Simone.

She nodded in agreement, "I hope that's a good thing."

Kayrn was absorbed in an energy bubble. Yuki rushed forward, but Weavel grasped onto her wrist and yanked her back. She swore and struggled to free herself to no avail. Marluxia and Roxas summoned their weapons to their hands and crossed them in front of Zexion, the Assassin's scythe at his left and Roxas's Oblivion at his right. The cloud expanded in a blink of an eye and contracted in another, electricity crackling around it. Then it exploded and a middle-aged, slate haired man stood in its place; the left side of his face and neck was marred with burn scars. He was clad in a blue robe, possibly wearing some sort of armor underneath due to a few jagged features on his body.

"I think we've wasted enough time playing this game." The man spoke and began walking towards Zexion, causing the Nobody to take a step back.

Alaryn groaned, "What 'game'? There is no game being played here, we are at war and you're continuously making absurd accusations, Kayrn!"

A smirk was on the man's features as he shook his head, "This is certainly ridiculous. 'Kayrn', no, I am not Kayrn; my name is Ambroise."

Zexion looked skeptical and slightly pale as he pushed Marluxia and Roxas away to approach the man, "I doubt that is anywhere near the truth."

"Well, I rather like it," The smirk fell from Ambroise's features as he slung an arm around the Nobody's neck, "Its meaning fits me, don't you think?"

"If that is what you wish yourself to believe." Slowly, the Nobody removed himself from the man's grasp.

Ambroise frowned, "No need to sound so cold to _me_."

"There are reasons for everything. Now I want to know the reason why you impersonated Master Kayrn and I also would like to know for how long." Zexion replied taciturnly.

"Again with the cold voice," The scarred man remarked, shaking his head, "Well, I've been Kayrn for a while now…I can't really place my finger on where it all started."

The Nobody summoned his keyblade and put it against Ambroise's neck, "Don't act stupid, I am quite aware that you know when it all happened."

Ambroise moved the blade away with his index finger, "Someone must be in a foul mood today. Fine, I'll tell you as long as you tell me some things."

"That will depend on what you want to know." The Schemer rested his keyblade on his shoulder, "I am not exactly one who shares many facts about myself or anyone else."

"It'll be worth your time, believe me." A smile was played onto Ambroise's features.

Marco groaned, "The suspense is killing me, really. JUST GET ON WITH THE QUESTION ALREADY!"

The scarred man sighed, "Those who wait patiently will be rewarded, but judging whether or not the prize is principled, is a reward in itself."

"I have no idea on what that is supposed to mean, does anyone else?" Weavel commented, only to be whacked by Yuki.

The two lieutenants glared at each other, preparing themselves for another argument. Simone sighed and shook her head at them, turning her attention back to Ambroise. Xigbar snorted at their antics as Alaryn slunk away from his place in the crowd. He stopped just beside Zexion, sighing in relief at finding that his presence was brushed off as unimportant for the moment. Ambroise grumbled about everyone acting rudely and then spun the revolver around his left index finger.

"This gets none of you anywhere, but anyway…" The man paused as he took a few steps away from Zexion, "Master Zexion, why do you stand before me today?"

Briefly brushing aside his bangs, the Schemer replied, "I stand here on this battlefield for the sake of the Council, my family and friends. But as I stand before you, I am only seeking answers."

Ambroise smiled, "Then I suppose I'll answer one of your questions now…hm…let's see… Oh, I've been acting as Master Kayrn to observe one of the agents the House has within your ranks."

"…Who is this person that you've been observing?" Zexion blurted out, curiosity getting the better of him.

The scarred man shook a finger at him, "We're trading off answers here, Master Zexion. Be patient with me here."

A sigh left the younger man's lips, "Very well, ask me whatever it is you wish for me to answer."

"How old are you?" Ambroise queried, spinning the revolver on his finger.

Zexion looked perplexed for a moment, "M-my age? You want to know about my age? As you wish…I am in my late teens."

"You could just say that you're nineteen," Xigbar muttered under his breath.

"So you avoid answering the question directly," The scarred man stated mildly, "Very well then, I suppose I shall do the same. The agent I've been observing is among us."

Simone frowned, "It could be one of the Dawn or the Darkness's soldiers, a lieutenant or…Marco…"

"Milady, I can assure you that I am no traitor!" Marco defended and then motioned toward the units, "They couldn't possibly be agents either; all they've done is follow orders and ask questions regarding someone's welfare."

Yuki looked at Weavel, "If I were a traitor, the Idiot would've annoyed the Hell outta me before now."

"And if I was a traitor, Yuki would've kicked my ass ten times more than usual and then turn me in." Weavel added.

Zexion regarded their alibis with a nod, "Makes sense knowing you two; Marco and the others haven't acted strangely before, which leaves Master Alaryn."

"By the Hearts, how can you think that _I_ am the traitor?" The cyborg backed away from the Nobody's expectant gaze, only to bump into someone.

Xigbar pointed one of his Arrowguns into Alaryn's back, "I'm sure all of us would like to hear your excuse. 'Cause if you think that we'd let you run away like a little bitch…then I suggest that you just stand there and take your execution like a man."

Alaryn cringed, "If I wanted to die, I wouldn't want to die like this. I consider this a disgrace to not be able to see my killer."

"Is this better for you?" Xigbar stepped around him and pointed his Arrowgun in the cyborg's visor.

"Okay, okay, fine, I'll talk! Just get that thing out of my sight!" Alaryn threw his arms up, "I'll admit it, I was working with the House. They…they would've…look, I just was brought in by their promises."

The Freeshooter took a step back as Dawn soldiers moved in to apprehend Alaryn once more, while Simone spoke up, "What did they promise you?"

A whimper was all that was heard from the cyborg as he broke down. Marco rolled his eyes at him and moved in to help restrain Alaryn. Weavel's eyes were filled with hurt and hate towards the senior magician, hands clenching into fists of ice at his side. Ambroise cleared his throat to attract Zexion's attention once more.

"Go ahead and ask another question," The Nobody drawled out, dismissing his keyblade.

Ambroise smiled as he held the revolver tightly in his hand, "What do you fear the most—besides losing those you hold dear?"

Zexion tapped his chin in thought before answering, "I fear the betrayal of someone I hold dear along with dying alone. Why do you ask?"

"No real reason in particular, to be honest with you, Master Zexion. So, would it be wrong to assume that you don't fear death?"

Ambroise was twirling the revolver around once again as the Schemer responded, "I don't fear death, I fear the experience of _dying_."

"Pity I can't use this for its intended purpose, but this'll have to do," The scarred man stopped twirling the revolver and then fired it, "And to answer your previous question, I killed Kayrn during the Destruction of Resolution and have been impersonating him ever since on behalf of the House."

A gurgled cry left Zexion's lips as he fell over. Xigbar rushed over and began firing at Ambroise. The scarred man shrugged off his attacks and then signaled something at the sky. Suddenly, a fleet of House Draegoons was seen flying overhead. They were there to scope the area for the caves and were most likely planning to head to The Graveyard straight afterward. Vexen and Weavel were busy trying to help Zexion as the rest of the group watched as the dark fleet disappeared off into the distance. Simone cried out in frustration, before looking to where their Draegoons were stationed.

**Damn, I probably got you guys. Somehow...**

**Translations:**

**French- The piece of shit...; I just have a bad feeling about the Twilight. They're too inquisitive.; ...everything went to Hell...; Damned Dog, I have not done shit to you!; Crazy ass dog!; You are a liar!**

**Russian- Don't worry so much, if it didn't work I wouldn't have given it to you.**


	9. Mercy

**Long time, no update, huh? Sorry 'bout the delay being for so long. I don't know if you guys actually read my notes, but it is appreciated.**

**Zexion: At times, sure. Otherwise, someone is somehow tricked into saying something really stupid.**

**-_-" Right. Anyway, I've noticed that I haven't really been writing the characters out so well. They all seem REALLY OOC.**

**Zexion: You don't say. I'm one of them!**

**Details, details.**

**Luxord: Right, then. Get on to reading and don't mind these two.**

Mercy – _"Only a kind person is able to judge another justly and to make allowances for his weaknesses. A kind eye, while recognizing defects, sees beyond them." – Lawrence G. Lovasik_

Xigbar stood over Vexen as he and Weavel worked on stopping the blood flowing from Zexion's wounds. The Freeshooter huffed in irritation as he paced around the healers; the rest of their group had decided to gather themselves a few feet away. Larxene held her head in her hands and leaned against Demyx. A heavy sigh had left Marluxia's lips as he impatiently shifted on his feet and looked around. Several soldiers were able to awaken from the blast; however most of them weren't allies. Thankfully, they all woke up disoriented.

Xaldin growled as he threw a lance at a green armored soldier that snapped out of their daze, "This is pointless just standing here. We should contact the Draegoons and move out!"

"We can't seem to find a way to contact them. The House probably set up a satellite station not too far from here in order to jam our communications…" Marco responded with a sigh as he put away a handheld transceiver.

Yuki cried out in frustration as she trapped a House soldier in a block of ice, "I can't believe I was tricked into believing that I was following Master Kayrn's example. He died already…"

Simone exhaled, "I don't like what this whole conspiracy thing has done either, but Lieutenant Tomeo…your master may have not been the real Kayrn, but you _have_ proven yourself."

A choked shriek reached everyone's ears while Xemnas kept a group of House soldiers away with a barrage of lasers. As they turned toward Xigbar's direction, they saw him freaking out and pointing his Arrowguns at something. Weavel was busy trying to hold Zexion down as Vexen was yelling something. But, the shuffling noises from behind them had stolen their attention. Lexaeus got ready to smack the soldiers away as Saix bared his teeth and snarled, raising his claymore. Marco jumped in front of them to stop their attacks, pointing out the soldier's loyalties.

"Wait, wait, look at their insignias guys! Those soldiers are ours!" He slunk away from their weapons as they slowly calmed down.

The newcomers saluted everyone and one of them stepped forward, "Lieutenant Roxas and Lieutenant Marluxia…I am glad to see that you are alright. I hope that Master Zexion is with you two."

Roxas's eyes softened, "He's currently with Vexen, Xigbar, and Weavel, some shit went down and now he's bleeding a lot."

"Captain Cale, do you think you can signal the Draegoons for us?" Marluxia changed the subject before a different question could be asked.

The captain nodded and then withdrew a gun from his belt. He pointed it upwards and then pulled the trigger. A blue flare flew up into the sky and then slowly dissolved. Taking a step back from where he stood underneath it, Cale waited for the Draegoons' response. None of the Draegoons showed any signs of acknowledgement. Simone sighed as the captain looked down and threw the flare gun to the side.

"I've got no more flares on me," Cale kicked a rock to the side, "Piece of shit shouldn't even have a limit…it just shoots flares."

Yuki groaned and began pacing, "The more time we spend here, we lose time for helping our outpost."

Simone shook her head, "Under the circumstances, we will have to assume that the outpost is lost. At the very least, we still have the generators running at HQ, so I doubt that they will even find it."

"Actually, milady, I have a few things to confess concerning that matter…" Alaryn quietly stated, "During one of my reports, I _may have_ given a House agent information in order to access the Passage."

Lexaeus promptly lifted the cyborg up by grabbing his neck, "That is quite problematic for us."

The magician squirmed and clawed at the large man, "L-let me go! T-t-this is u-unfair treatment of y-y-your prisoner!"

"The Council isn't obligated to take prisoners, Girard; well, not any prisoners like you anyhow. We are merely keeping order and flushing out a mole." Simone stated coolly as she crossed her arms.

Weavel glared at the cyborg as he walked back toward the group, "You tricked me into believing in you. I hope you burn after all this…"

"I say we tear him apart. Bloodshed is unavoidable during war." Yuki twirled one of her keyblades around.

Alaryn struggled in Lexaeus's grasp, which seemed to grow even tighter as seconds went by, "Y-you can't do this t-t-to me! Killing me l-like this goes a-a-against e-everything you s-st-stand for!"

Xemnas shrugged, "Order must be kept somehow, Alaryn. If a little drop of blood from a troublemaker such as yourself helps keep it, then we shall let it become a river so that it'll stay orderly."

"You pay what you owe to others; an eye for an eye, as the saying goes." Marco growled out.

Zexion had slowly made his way over to them, clutching the gash he received from the monsters tightly with his right hand, "Lexaeus, let Master Alaryn down."

"As you wish," The Hero let go of Alaryn, causing the cyborg to fall flat on his back.

The Dawn lieutenant sneered, "He doesn't deserve the title of 'Master' anymore, Master Zexion."

"A disgrace to every key-bearer and living being here on this planet," Yuki spat out, crossing her arms.

Alaryn sat up and looked to the Schemer, "F-funny how the r-roles seem to switch a-a-at key points in our lives, huh?"

"Perhaps," The slate haired Nobody nodded, tightening his grip on his wound as he held out his free hand to the cyborg, "Stand up."

The cyborg accepted the offered hand and slowly got to his feet. He summoned his keyblade and removed its chain, causing the keyblade to dissolve into a broken handle. Holding onto the handle for dear life, Alaryn slowly offered the keychain to the Schemer. A moment of silence passed as Zexion reached out to Alaryn. The cyborg dropped the handle in anticipation of an incoming death blow. Instead of taking the keychain or killing him, Zexion gently pushed the cyborg's clawed fingers until they were wrapped around the keychain.

"Keep your keychain, I wish to discuss things with you later." Walking away, the Schemer left everyone baffled as he approached the medical team that arrived.

Captain Cale walked past everyone with other Twilight soldiers following him. Marluxia and Roxas shared a look before jogging after them, with Xigbar and Larxene in tow. As the others watched them go, more dropships landed. Splitting up, they all piled into the ships. Soon everyone was in one of the three Draegoons, and out of the 3,200 soldiers that arrived—not including the officers or the Organization—only 125 made it out alive.

_So, what exactly is your inspiration for such a response?_

_-Is this an interrogation of some sort or is this an interview?-_

_Just answer the question, damn it. I mean it just sounds more directed to the word 'kindness' than it is to 'mercy'…_

Ambroise leaned back into the captain's chair as he spoke, "Our plan went south a bit, but ended successfully. Our fleet will deal with the Council's final outposts and should move on toward the Graveyard within the hour."

"How exactly did the plan go south?" A figure in tattered robes asked.

"Alaryn was a coward and had doubts about what he was doing, according to my scanners. But, the gun was used; I can assure all of you." The hooded figure slightly bowed and took a step back in line along with the other figures.

Another figure stepped forward, chest clad in a white cuirass gilded with gold, "You are certain that the shot is jamming their communications?"

The scarred man nodded with a smile, "I didn't think it would at first, but the scanners speak for themselves. Their operators at the Graveyard won't find out what happened at the battlefield until we lay waste to them. Alaryn didn't know the shot's capabilities and probably assumed that it was a mere gun, so he won't know what is causing the interference when they interrogate him. But here's the real kicker, gentlemen, I managed to lodge the shot into Master Zexion's chest."

A gasp left the white armored figure, while the other members began laughing and a member spoke, "And the only way to remove it, is most likely fatal."

The hooded figure spoke up once again, "You definitely live up to your promises, don't you?"

Ambroise nodded, "I've waited a long time to do that to him and now, he won't be a problem for me or any of you once they find out about their situation."

"But, I would think that the coward would have noticed the jam. He _is_ a cyborg after all." Another figure spoke from the shadows.

The others cleared their throats as Ambroise looked to the side with a frown. Two faint orbs of orange peered at them before disappearing. Bowing to the shadows and nodding in acknowledgment to Ambroise, the white armored figure left. His actions were repeated by the other members until Ambroise was by himself in the small cone of light. He slumped in his seat mumbling as the shadows around him shuffled.

_-Mercy is hard to receive from an enemy when you are at war.-_

_Am I not being merciful to you right now?_

_-If this is some form of mercy from you, I'd hate to see cruelty.-_

"Our radars and our communication systems are definitely being jammed, but our scouts can't locate the origin of the jammer." Marco sighed and leaned against a monitor as the operator went back to work.

Xemnas shook his head and leaned back into his seat, "That doesn't help us at all, but at least we've got a way to locate any threats."

"We'll be arriving at the Graveyard soon, so the technical difficulties will be dealt with there." Cale commented as he messed around with the holographic map in front of them.

"Once we arrive, I'll have some technicians assess the damages done to the generators." Simone crossed her arms and then looked to the hallway, "…I still can't understand why Master Zexion spared Alaryn."

Yuki scowled and kept sharpening one of her keyblades, "Maybe he's planning on doing something to him when we get back. I hope it'll be brutal…I hope I can help."

"As long as Alaryn pays for what he's done, I don't really care…" Weavel muttered darkly as he watched the clouds pass by the Draegoon.

Saix stretched out his arms and then rested them against the table, "What will we do now that we've lost the outpost?"

"Hope that we didn't lose any of the others located nearby it…" Marco replied, sitting back down.

Xaldin frowned, "There's the possibility that the House could have located them."

"Another reason why we should hurry back to HQ before it's too late." Simone sighed as she rubbed her temples, "The generators will be fixed and then we can sort out the Council. Our armies won't be able to function properly without their leaders."

"Half of the Dawn soldiers still don't listen to me even after four months…" Weavel remarked.

Yuki shrugged, "The Darkness is pretty flexible when it comes to a change in power, but I don't want to be the one leading them."

Simone raised an eyebrow, "And why wouldn't you wish to lead them? You are certainly capable of doing so."

"Eh…killing people during operations is more fun than planning them out." Lieutenant Tomeo responded as she dismissed her current keyblade and summoned the other.

"Typical," Weavel muttered, only to be smacked upside the head five seconds later.

_Watch your damned words…I am warning you!_

_-I am aware that you're warning me, but I am also aware that you are no serious threat to me.-_

_…Why must you be so difficult?_

Marluxia crossed one leg over the other as he sat next to Zexion's bed. Roxas stood at the foot of the bed, glaring at the cyborg that lay a few beds away from the Schemer. Xigbar rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Alaryn and then to Zexion. A sigh left his lips as he went to sit down beside Larxene and Demyx. Lexaeus stood in the doorway of the infirmary keeping his gaze trained on the injured Nobody and on Alaryn.

"None of you have to stay in the infirmary with me; I'm sure some of the soldiers will swing by to keep watch over Alaryn." Zexion winced as he shakily breathed out.

Xigbar shook his head, "As if. I am not leaving this spot; last time something went wrong because of Alaryn, he ended up walking off scot-free just to screw things up even more. That pile of gears won't be outta my sight again."

"Everyone here is in agreement, I'm sure. Wherever Alaryn ends up, some sort of trouble occurs." Marluxia stated, crossing his arms.

The Schemer slowly inhaled and exhaled, "He won't be a problem." _If I can endure all these hidden wounds—excluding the one that was reopened—I can deal with these new ones; I took an oath._

Roxas shook his head, "I'm not convinced. Once Axel gets back, we're going to watch over Gear Man ourselves."

"Pfft…'Gear Man', that sounds like a lame superhero." Demyx snickered.

Zexion sighed, "Honestly, all of you are just overanxious. Alaryn won't be a problem, so stop fussing over it."

"Maybe you should _start_ fussing over it. They put both of you in the same room, and only one of you is severely injured. Who's to say that he won't exploit this?" Larxene exclaimed.

"I know you are all concerned, but my wounds will most likely heal just as fast as the others did before." _More lies to add to that castle of shame now, you should stop. _A voice echoed in his head.

Marluxia rolled his eyes, "There _is_ that, but that doesn't lessen the threat the Alaryn poses to you now."

The Schemer grumbled to himself and then laid his head back down. Xigbar threw a glance at Alaryn before pulling out a magazine that's title read, 'Gun Digest'. Larxene frowned and began juggling her knives as Demyx tuned his sitar. Once the Nocturne began playing, the song seemed to make Marluxia relax while Roxas had sat on the bed across from Alaryn's. Lexaeus shut his eyes and stepped away from the doorway. Axel finally reappeared with Luxord not too far behind him. The two slowly entered as the atmosphere in the room felt heavy. The Gambler went to sit on a chair to Zexion's left as the Flurry walked over to Alaryn's bed and leaned against the wall.

-Two Hours later…-

Zexion sat up and swung his legs over the left side of his bed, careful to avoid bumping into anyone. Alaryn turned his head toward the Nobody and sighed, also getting up. He followed the Nobody out into the hallway and walked over to the elevator. The Schemer crossed his arms and pushed the 'up' button. Another sigh left the cyborg as he pressed the button for the deck of the ship.

"Is this how it's going to end for me? I must commend you for your plot, though it seems a bit dark for you. Considering the way you act toward the Council at least, I have no idea whether or not if this is normal for you. Then again, I like having the idea of letting my imagination run wild; this whole 'throw me from the top of a Draegoon' narrows it slightly, but I suppose the technique has to count."

Zexion shook his head as the elevator came to a halt and the doors slowly slid away, "I want to know a few things before—."

"Ah, of course, you have to interrogate me before ridding the worlds of my existence," Alaryn interrupted as they walked over to a railing, "But, I would imagine you wouldn't really have the need to do so, since you're so smart and whatnot. Also, you have injuries so it would only be more taxing for you to stand and hear me talk."

"Alaryn, please just let me talk. And if my wounds bother you so damn much…" Zexion took a shaky breath and then placed his right hand on his chest, "Integumento haec vulnera et me videtur intactus."

The cyborg watched as a grey light briefly enveloped the Nobody, which seemed the cause the bloodied bandages to disappear. Zexion coughed into his hand and then turned to lean against the railing. Alaryn faced the other way and let his back lean into the metal bar. A heavy silence passed over them for a few minutes before the slate haired Nobody began speaking once again.

"I need to know, what exactly was the purpose of that revolver? I recall Ambroise saying, and I quote, 'Pity I can't use this for its intended purpose, but this'll have to do'. What did you intend to use that revolver for?" Zexion slightly turned his head to look at Alaryn.

The magician shifted on his feet and twiddled his thumbs, "Well, to be honest, I just thought I was supposed to kill someone. But, after it was fired, I just noticed a change in the atmosphere."

"A change in the atmosphere…how so?"

Alaryn shrugged, "Being a cyborg, I can feel when technology is…being tampered with or not."

The Nobody turned his gaze back onto the sky, "Could that gunshot have affected the communication systems?"

"The House _does_ use odd methods in order to throw the Council off their trail…" The cyborg added.

"So the bullet is at fault…the bullet that's lodged inside of my chest." Zexion glowered, "Removal of the bullet could be fatal, who knows what else the House packed into it."

Alaryn slumped his shoulders, "Must be a tough situation…what are you gonna do now?"

The Schemer rubbed his chin, "I'm going to figure out a way to get rid of the bullet of course."

"You just said that it could be fatal."

"But, even so, it will help the Council greatly and perhaps a good surgeon would lessen the chances of death. I want to do whatever it takes to make sure everything and everyone I hold dear is safe." Zexion slowly began to walk back toward the elevator.

The cyborg shook his head, "I…misjudged you, but that doesn't change the fact that I still find you crazy."

"You won't be the only one. C'mon, let's head back before the others wake up." A small smile found its way onto the Schemer's features.

Alaryn walked towards him, "What _I_ don't get is the reason why you spared me."

Zexion's visible eye softened, "The others may not understand and you may not either, but I believe in forgiving people, no matter how much damage was caused."

"During the trial, you acted differently." The cyborg pointed out.

"I know," Zexion looked to the side, "I stand strong in my beliefs, but in those moments and a few others, I stumbled because of my growing hatred. Just know that I forgive you, Alaryn, because I know what it is like to do stupid things for people I care about."

"How would you know if it was for someone? You are so…" Alaryn trailed off for a moment, "So kind. Perhaps a bit too kind, but maybe that is a good thing. War changes people, I hope that you don't."

Zexion smiled and then went to press the 'down' button. The ship shook, causing both him and Alaryn to stumble. Using the doors of the elevator to steady himself, Zexion pushed himself into a standing position and ran to the railing. Alaryn climbed up a ladder to see the back of the ship. Yells from inside the ship indicated that the crew was in a panic, off in the orange colored horizon, screams and sounds of metal clashing together could be heard. Thick pillars of smoke appeared, worsening the Twilight Commander's fears. The cyborg jumped down from his place on the ladder and then hurriedly pressed the 'down' button. _This is gonna be hurt so damn much later…_ Zexion ran back over to the elevator as it opened. The bell chimed as they were lowered back down onto bridge level.

"Alaryn, get one of the dropships ready while I go fetch my armor." Zexion instructed as some soldiers hurried past them, "We'll go on ahead of everyone else to see if we can help. A Draegoon takes too long to fly or land, especially with a broken thruster."

"How do you know it's a thruster that is causing the problem?"

The Schemer scowled at him, "A Draegoon is designed to have a thruster located on each of the four corners of the ship; your head was angled to look at one of the back corners. Where else would you have looked? The Hearts-damned wastelands in the distance?"

Alaryn shrugged, "A Draegoon provides quite a beautiful view, no matter where we are."

"Get going already, damn you!"

The magician nodded and hurried down the hall as the Nobody went back toward the infirmary. Xigbar intercepted him and held onto his shoulders. The Freeshooter was worried and was making sure no wounds had opened once again, but found none on the Schemer. Zexion patted his father's back as he walked to a corner. There laid a chest containing his belongings. Once opened, he quickly put on his boots and cuirass. As he walked back into the hallway he threw his robe on and then wrapped the sashes on, followed by his gauntlets being slid on. Marluxia and Roxas were tailing him as he zigzagged through the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Roxas yelled over the commotion.

Zexion sighed and yelled back, "You don't have to follow me if you don't want to! I'm headed down toward the Graveyard!"

Marluxia furrowed his brow, "How do you know if we're close to HQ so soon?"

"I was on the deck earlier, but that doesn't matter now. Alaryn and I will head down and see if we can nab some survivors and retrieve Lacrimosa!" The Schemer opened the doors to the hangar.

Roxas and Marluxia continued to follow; soon four others were able to catch up. Zexion looked back at the group and then looked around for Alaryn. He spotted the cyborg waving at him next to a dropship. Nodding in his direction, Zexion paused to face the group as he summoned his keyblades to his hands.

"You don't have to follow me any further. Just head back to the bridge and tell Simone to wait until Alaryn and I have Lacrimosa in the air. If we aren't up and running within forty-five minutes tell Simone to head to Castle Oblivion." Before he could move toward the dropship, Larxene quickly ran past him as Xigbar teleported into the dropship.

Marco appeared, leaning against the doorway, "Don't worry, Master Zexion, I'll inform her myself. Try to get other Draegoons in the air as well, and if you have to use one of the House's Draegoons, I'll make sure we don't fire at you. Then again, I doubt any of the House's guys would want to leave before their job is done."

Luxord shrugged and walked toward the ship with Demyx in tow. Marluxia gave Zexion a look before following after them. Roxas motioned for Zexion to walk ahead of him. Rolling his eyes, the Schemer quickly walked onto the dropship. Alaryn plopped himself into the pilot's seat and waited as everyone seated themselves. Xigbar summoned his Arrowguns and nodded in Zexion's direction with a smile. Electricity crackled from Larxene's fingertips as she nudged her brother's arm and the sound of Demyx strumming his sitar signaled he was ready. Marluxia set his scythe on the floor and put his foot on it as Luxord shuffled his cards with Roxas gripping his keyblades in reverse, pointing the blades at the floor.

"I can't believe you guys just disregarded my words." Zexion muttered.

Xigbar threw him a grin, "Yeah, we were just gonna let you and Gear Man go and fight alone. As if. I mean, I still don't trust the bastard."

"By the way, what exactly is 'Lacrimosa'?" Marluxia questioned.

The Schemer sighed, "That's the name of the Organization's Gummi Ship, but it means weeping in Latin. I took the liberty of giving it some sort of name."

"It sounds pretty…as long as you don't know the meaning of the word anyway. We should change it." Larxene commented.

Xigbar nodded in agreement, "It should be exciting or really special."

_-I'm being perfectly fair. You tell me a word, we have a conversation on it and I speak honestly with you.-_

"Alright, we're here!" Alaryn shouted as he landed nearby by some burnt down tents.

Zexion hopped out of the dropship and looked around. Marluxia stood to his right as he advanced. The others weren't too far behind as they made their way through the burning field. Along the way they stopped by the columns that used to stand in front of the Council Building. Now they were toppled over and the building was just rubble. Screams were heard nearby, only to be cut short by a sickening crack. More cracks were heard and the group hurried away. It wasn't long before they were stopped by some crossroads.

"Alaryn, you and I will take the left path since it will take us to Fenrir. The rest of you will head down the right and then continue on to the Reception; buildings will be located there so be careful when you're making your way around. Find survivors and activate Draegoons or commandeer them. If you don't see Lacrimosa up and running within forty minutes, try to communicate with Simone and then head to Castle Oblivion."

Before anyone could object, Zexion ran off with Alaryn close behind. Roxas frowned as they disappeared and then began running down the path he was instructed to. Larxene dashed away as Xigbar teleported around. Demyx strummed as he walked, putting out some fires as Luxord jogged ahead. Marluxia looked between the paths and then ran down the left path. Keeping his senses sharp, he trailed along the Schemer's footsteps.

_Fools show mercy to their enemies. It opens them up for betrayal._

_-True, it does lead to potential backstabbing. However, mercy is what I strive to see from others and myself; it is a chance of redemption for both parties.-_

_You strive to see some form of true mercy…from me?_

_-Yes, I do. But, I don't expect much from a man of your stature either.-_

"I can't believe I didn't think of that cyborg's sensitivity to technology…" Ambroise grumbled as he paced around the bridge.

The white clad figure from the meeting before shrugged, "There isn't much need to dwell over things. Soon the Graveyard shall fall, though it seems that the factions' fortresses won't burn…"

A sigh left the scarred man's lips, "I know, I know…but perhaps I should head down there to make sure that those idiots don't get a chance to run around the place."

"I will deal with that myself, the Established and a few of your pets are getting antsy. Plus, the Lord of the Manor and the Lord Chamberlain are requesting that you meet them back at the Spire immediately." He removed his visor cap and slightly bowed before Ambroise.

"Why must you always do that? We're of the same rank," The scarred man insisted, "Fine, do as you wish, but be careful. I would hate to lose a good friend out there, Seventeen. Oh, and if the need to sacrifice my pets arises, go ahead at use them."

Seventeen nodded and placed a hand on Ambroise's shoulder, "It won't come to that. I hope your meeting with the Lord of the Manor will be pleasant. We shall speak again once most of the Graveyard is destroyed and no soldiers are left standing."

"Thank you, Seventeen," Ambroise slightly bowed, "Until the end."

_What do you know?_

_-I know that a merciful hand is received better than an iron fist.-_

"Are they out of their damned minds?" Marco flinched as Simone pushed past him and went to look out the windshield.

Xemnas got up from his seat, "Captain Raes, please tell me you're joking."

"Okay…then," the Light Captain put his arms behind his head and meekly grinned, "I'm just screwing with you."

"So, Zexion, six other members of our Organization and a former Councilor didn't charge off into certain death eight minutes ago?" Saix queried, raising one of his eyebrows.

Marco chuckled, "Ye—okay, no…they charged off to death nine minutes and seventeen seconds ago."

Vexen rubbed his temples, "This information would've been more useful to us earlier. At least we could have stopped them then."

"Hopefully they just went to dump Alaryn there and leave the bastard for dead." Yuki thought aloud.

Simone shook her head, "If I were the victim of someone's wrath and then had the chance to get back at them, I wouldn't consider just leaving them at the mercy of their own soldiers and then hang around longer than necessary. It wouldn't be wise at all…so what could Zexion be planning?"

"He wanted to retrieve 'Lacrimosa' and try to save some of our soldiers. If we don't see this 'Lacrimosa' up in thirty-six minutes, we'll have to leave for a 'Castle Oblivion' without them." Captain Raes responded quickly, pulling up a map of the galaxy.

The Superior pushed him aside and focused the map, "Getting there won't be a problem, though it might take a few hours. This place is too far in the 'Dark' part of the galaxy and Castle Oblivion is in the more 'In-between' area."

"The Draegoon's travel systems should make the trip a lot shorter than you thought, but I can't this place is lost to us…" Weavel sighed.

Xaldin slammed his fist against the table, "We have to go after those idiots before it's too late for them!"

"If we do that, there might not be any chances for any of us to get out alive." Lexaeus pointed out grimly.

Cale rubbed the back of his head, "What a pain in the ass and the alarms are giving me a headache…"

"What are we supposed to do now?" Axel wondered, looking at all the others.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens." Simone replied with her eyes trained on the burning compound below.

-Rescue Team I -

Bright blue eyes squinted, attempting to see past the bright orange flames, "Damn…the House sure does know how to wreak havoc…"

"I can't keep extinguishing these fires, man. It'll take days to fix any of this up anyway." Demyx stated, wiping his forehead.

"At least we got enough time to extract people from the debris that you drenched—well, Larxene and I have enough time to extract people anyway." Luxord piped up as he seemingly dragged a soldier from underneath a fallen beam within a heartbeat.

Xigbar scoffed, "At least _you_ got the easy job. I'm stuck with keeping these dumb House soldiers at bay."

"Hey, _I'm_ fighting them too y'know!" Roxas exclaimed, slicing down a green armored man.

"Doesn't mean that the job ain't hard…by the way, where's that pansy?" Larxene dashed out from some rubble, carrying a box to look at her dad.

She set the box next to one of the soldiers that were resting on the ground, "I was wondering why there was the lack of a rosy scent in the air. You don't think he got separated from us after those buildings fell, do you?"

Demyx sent his water clones out into the area, "We're pretty far from where we split up with Zexion, but back there I didn't see Marluxia pass by me."

The Freeshooter growled out as he shot down some House soldiers, "Must've tailed Zexion or got caught in a fight."

Roxas frowned, "He better be alright."

Larxene rolled her eyes, "Mar-Mar can take care of himself, but honestly I think he has a thing for my brother."

"Oh come on now, darling, he could just be tending to his duty as Zexion's lieutenant." Luxord remarked as he got ready to slow down time around himself.

Larxene scoffed, "Yeah sure, wanna bet on that?"

The Gambler smiled, "I guess we'll see who has to give up 250 munny later on."

"If he did have a _thing_ for Zexy," Xigbar commented, "I'd have to have a chat with him. Speaking of which, I need to talk with you later, Dem-Dem."

"Sure thing Xig—wait, wait a minute—a chat with _me_! What do you need to chat about?" The Nocturne stuttered out, nearly drenching Roxas instead of a nearby fire.

Rolling his eye, Xigbar shrugged, "Just a little talk concerning my little Nymph."

"Dad~, don't you dare do this now!" Larxene whined.

"I know, that's why I said we'll chat later."

The Nymph smacked her forehead, "I mean don't do that _ever_. Don't chat now, later or any other day that seems 'convenient'."

Luxord sighed and patted Demyx's shoulder; he was still stuttering as Xigbar tried to defend himself, "I'm just looking out for my kids. Is that so wrong?"

"When it gets personal, of course it is" Larxene snapped back.

Demyx stood wide-eyed and pale, "A…chat a-a-about L-Larxene?"

"Don't stress yourself too much luv. I'm sure Xigbar means you no harm." The Gambler reassured him, before 'dashing off' toward another burnt down building.

-Rescue Team II-

Zexion punched the Fenrir Gates' control panel, shattering it, "The House must've targeted Fenrir's generators first…"

"They probably destroyed the other fortresses' generators along with the other districts' generators after sneaking in. Their strategy must've been to put all the lights out in order to cause a panic amongst the soldiers and throw off the operators, before blowing things up of course." Alaryn traced a claw against the black metal gates and then turned to face the Schemer.

"I can't believe no one saw this coming." The slate haired Nobody growled out as he walked away from the panel, "No one even thought of preparing a back-up generator that also prevented unauthorized powers being used and kept any legitimate House soldiers out or an emergency invasion plan?"

Alaryn chuckled nervously, "Another one of _my_ projects I'm afraid…wait, are you saying I'm illegitimate?"

A sigh left the Schemer's lips, "Of course it was a project…the House was smart to coerce you into sabotaging the Council from the inside."

"Gee, thanks for avoiding my question. There's another thing I need to say, Master Zexion." The cyborg shifted on his feet as the Nobody's cool cobalt eyes—or rather, visible eye—was trained on him.

"What is it, Alaryn?" Suddenly, the wind picked up around them and caused Zexion to slightly shiver.

A long period of silence passed between the two. The wind became fierce and whipped at Zexion's cheeks. For a few brief moments, Alaryn began motioning his arms to try to communicate with the Schemer only to give up and look away. Then the cyborg attempted to speak, finding that his throat felt too constricted to do so. As the wind became even more violent, Zexion glared at the sky and then turned to lean against the black metal walls in an attempt to shield his face. Shaking his head, Alaryn crossed his arms and then slowly began speaking.

"Alright, alright," Exhaling to steady his voice, Alaryn took a step closer to Zexion, "I've wasted enough time just by arguing with myself. But, this is something you need to know, Master Zexion. The only reason that-."

The Schemer put a hand up to interrupt the magician as he turned to face the fires behind them, "Someone else is here."

Summoning his keyblade, Alaryn turned to face the fires as well, "Can you tell who is out there?"

"Their scent is…intoxicating, but I am quite familiar with it." Zexion waved for him to dismiss his weapon, "I believe my orders were once again, disregarded."

Just as Zexion finished his statement, a pink haired man wearing a dark grey cloak appeared. A slight frown of disapproval was on the Schemer's features for a moment before being replaced by a thin line of indifference. Marluxia quickly made his way over to them, panting heavily as he ran a hand through his hair, removing some soot. Alaryn rolled his shoulders back and seemed to get ready to speak once again. But before any words could be exchanged, Fenrir's gates were forcefully slid open. Zexion's arm shot up into the air as he cast Vanish over them.

A male clad in a white dress uniform with a chest plate gilded with gold stepped out. The few badges that hung off the dark green sash he wore diagonally around his chest seemed to give off an Imperial air as he slowly approached the flames. It was clear that he was a high ranking officer. Narrowing his eyes, Zexion motioned for his companions to follow him as he began sneaking past the gates. Marluxia gave Alaryn a slightly disapproving look before following; the cyborg shook his head and slowly trailed after him. Before they could reach the fortress's doors, a group of monsters jumped down from the walls. The Schemer stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he recognized the body structures and the movements. A monster with a spiked chin that mimicked a short beard with a more sharp looking head, compared to the others' more rounded heads and less 'spiky' chins, seemed to sense them as it 'sniffed' around Zexion's feet. It also seemed to have thin slits for eyes, whereas the others didn't and its blades were longer and curved. The monster's teeth seemed sharper as well. Moments later it snarled and leapt back, dragging its blades across the ground and then began viciously stabbing around its feet.

"What is with all this damned commotion back here?" The Imperial figure snapped as he marched back through the gates.

A brief moment passed before the monster stopped and stood up on its short hind legs, snarling in reply.

The man paused before putting his arm out and waved his hand just an inch away from Marluxia's ear, "I don't feel anything wrong in the air here—at least, nothing that is different from burning corpses and…other items."

Snarling once again, the monster swiped its arm in front of Alaryn's leg.

"You're paranoid," He adjusted his cap on his head, "Get back to patrolling the courtyards and instruct your Eradicators to investigate the other fortresses."

The Eradicator snarled once again, nearly cutting some of Zexion's hair off as it sliced the 'air' once more.

A sigh left the Imperial figure's lips, "Paranoid Eradicators… Look, I need to go find where the Established landed and I don't want to worry about my friend's pets running around killing air."

Silence fell between the man and the monster as they 'stared' each other down. The other Eradicators had wandered off a bit from them. With a nod, the pack leader of the Eradicators roared and the rest of the pack bounded off to their tasks. As the Imperial figure left, it reached out with one of its blades to tap his shoulder. The man slowly turned to face the monster.

The Eradicator bowed its head and went back to standing on all fours as it spoke in an extremely twisted and gravelly sounding voice, "M-may…your j-journey…f-f-find you g-glory, my Lord Seeker."

"My name is 'Seventeen', Zerich; I find it tiring to remind you. Be on your way, will you?" Seventeen began leaving once again.

Zerich snarled and bounded off into Fenrir's inner courtyards.

As soon as Seventeen was out of sight, Zexion dismissed his spell and then began walking to Fenrir's doors. Alaryn looked back at the gates and then hurriedly walked toward the Nobody. The Assassin wasn't too far behind him, carefully stepping over fallen beams and charred corpses. Once they caught up with Zexion, the Schemer jogged into the lobby and headed for some stairs. Marluxia ran to follow him as Alaryn casually walked after them.

-Rescue Team I-

Larxene set down another box down, catching Luxord's attention, "Remind me again why you're collecting boxes, darling?"

"I skimmed through some of the reports in these boxes, and they could have blueprints for some of the things the Council's using or have yet to build."

Demyx stopped hosing down the fires for a moment, "Stuff like Draegoons?"

The Nymph shook her head, "None of the reports mentioned Draegoons."

"I was hoping that Xemnas could've invested in making a Draegoon for the Organization…" The dirty blonde teen sighed.

Xigbar scoffed, "And what would be the point having a Draegoon if we have the ability to open Corridors and Portals?"

"Says the gentleman who piloted a Gummi Ship here," Luxord retorted.

"Okay…I should have known that would've bit me in the ass," The Freeshooter grumbled, "But, there was a legitimate reason for the Gummi Ship; the Council had a generator that prevented unauthorized people from using their powers. The Organization doesn't need a Draegoon, I mean, do you see eight hundred and thirteen or so people dressed in dark grey or black cloaks running around?"

Demyx slowly shook his head, "There are only thirteen people…but some of them aren't running around…"

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Plus, where would we even put such a huge aircraft?"

"Where we put the Gummi Ship," The Nocturne meekly replied.

Xigbar groaned and looked to the left, firing his Arrowgun in the opposite direction, "Not exactly a smart idea Dem-Dem. We left a little mess back there…"

"That doesn't mean we can't clean it up." Larxene remarked.

"Oh, so you wanna clean up some giant spider guts?" The older Nobody crossed his arms as Roxas pretended to gag.

The Key gave Xigbar a look, "You made a mess that involved giant spiders?"

Xigbar grinned a bit, "Courtesy of the Chilly Academic himself. Why do you care? Are ya scared of 'em?"

"I hate the damn things, but that doesn't mean I won't squish them myself. How did my other react anyway?" Roxas struck down a House soldier and then punched another one in the face.

"Well at least you've got a mind to do something reasonable. Sora, man, he just stood there and almost cried. Hell, one of his excuses for not fighting them was, 'I think standing here looking pretty suits me better'."

Demyx and Larxene shared a look with each other before bursting into laughter as Roxas responded to the news, "You've got to be shitting me…"

Xigbar tried to hide his grin, "Oh I shit you not, my little man."

"That young man faced tons of Heartless and the Organization," Luxord remarked, "How come spiders scare him?"

"I dunno, but he definitely just stood there trying to 'look pretty' while we got our asses whooped around a bit." The Freeshooter turned around to shoot down a few more soldiers.

Roxas smacked his forehead with one hand while he used his free hand to fire a beam of light in the direction of a few House soldiers. Larxene took a few breaths to calm herself, but continued to grin as she dashed away to another area. A few of the soldiers that were resting nearby had readied themselves to help the Nobodies and began fanning out to aid in the rescue. Luxord rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, 'speeding' off to rescue and salvage as well. All the while, Demyx was still laughing. His beloved sitar, Arpeggio, was on the ground as he rested his hands on his knees; this left him totally unaware of the approaching danger. The only warning was a snarl, which was quickly followed by a not-so-manly scream.

Whipping around, Xigbar saw the blonde on the dirt with a monster with bladed arms pinning him down. Quickly phasing away from his current position to avoid an incoming attack, the Freeshooter appeared hanging upside down over them and fired. Another snarl was heard somewhere in the distance and a few unrecognizable screams echoed over the crackling of the flames. Roxas fired another beam of light towards a few House soldiers before jump-flipping next to Demyx and smacking away the monster. It roared in agony as it rolled into the blazing building that was beginning to collapse. Demyx slowly got up to his feet with Roxas's help. The dirty blonde nodded at the key-bearer before summoning Arpeggio back into his hands. Dashing away and slicing down a few soldiers in the process, Roxas scouted the immediate area for more of the monsters. Xigbar phased once again and appeared on the side of a half collapsed building and shot down more soldiers. The Nocturne sucked in some air as he rubbed the gash on his arm before summoning water clones and then blasting away incoming soldiers.

-Rescue Team II-

The crackling of the fires outside grew silent as Zexion and Marluxia ran up the stairwell. After climbing up to the sixth floor, they ran over to a balcony that overlooked Fenrir's central courtyard. Down below, they could see the Eradicator named Zerich prowling around. Not too far from the Eradicator sat a group of unconscious soldiers that were chained together. The Schemer swiftly went to the railing and wore a mixed expression of anger and concern. Marluxia walked up to him and set a hand on the other Nobody's right shoulder. Tightening his grip on the railing, Zexion sharply inhaled and became tense.

"You're better off thinking this through before doing something very stupid." The Assassin whispered.

Zexion pushed away the hand on his shoulder, shakily exhaling before responding, "I know the risks, Marluxia. I just don't like foreign contact; you may be a friend, but you are far from being close enough to me to be allowed to lay a finger on my person."

"So you are back to acting like the ass some people in the Organization saw you as before? I thought we were starting to see eye-to-eye…" Marluxia hissed back, hurt was projected in his voice instead of cool malice, "Besides, you should show a little respect. I _am_ your elder, age-wise, at least."

Narrowing his eyes, Zexion responded, "Only by a year, I am assuming."

"I am certain of my age and your father's muttering revealed yours to me, so the answer is yes. That Ambroise guy must've been deaf to not have heard him."

_You have no idea how wrong you are…_ "That is what everything _seems_ to show to us. By the way…did you see where Alaryn went? I can't seem to pinpoint his scent."

Marluxia looked behind them, eyes widening. The Schemer turned around just as the pink haired Nobody turned back to face him, dark blue eyes colliding with the sky blue ones just slightly below them. Grasping Marluxia's arm, the Schemer pointed to the courtyard below. The Assassin peered over the railing to see Alaryn leisurely strolling toward Zerich. Slowly, the Eradicator moved to meet the approaching cyborg. It snarled and then stood still, waiting for a reply. Summoning his keyblade, Alaryn rushed forward and then struck Zerich's 'face'. Stumbling back a bit, the Eradicator snarled and then opened its mouth and whipped out its tongue. The cyborg rolled out of the way and then cast blizzaga. Zerich shook off the icicles that appeared on its skin, and then roared and two other Eradicators appeared, one ran out from a second floor window and the other had landed in from a hole in the roof.

"Oh…so you call out the underlings for help now?" Alaryn mocked from his hiding spot, "I never thought that your kind would be scared to face someone alone, but then again, I should've known you'd be crying for help like a _bitch_."

Zerich roared again and the other two launched themselves toward the cyborg's hiding place. Scoffing, Alaryn flipped over the shrub and then kicked Zerich down. The other two Eradicators had positioned themselves on the third floor railings and aimed their tongues at the cyborg. Rolling out of the way once more, the former Councilor dashed out of the courtyard with all three monsters giving chase. From their vantage point, Zexion and Marluxia watched this all happen with confused expressions.

"That idiot better not be screwing with us…wait here." Zexion's forearms were surrounded by white and black, purplish clouds and a black armguard with crimson streaks appeared on his right while a white armguard with teal waves was on his left.

Marluxia reached out for the Schemer as he positioned himself on top of the railing, "What are you going to do?"

"Rescue my soldiers," Zexion replied coolly as he aimed his right arm toward another railing.

A grappling hook shot out from the underside of the armguard and embedded itself into the grey marble railing. Tugging at it for a moment, Zexion exhaled and then leapt forward. He spun as he swung and then the grappling hook was released as another shot out from the topside of the left armguard, letting Zexion swing to another railing that was on a lower level. Repeating this once more before flipping down next to the group of soldiers, Zexion's left armguard was replaced by his white keyblade and broke the chains. He snapped his fingers and green streams of light emitted from the soldiers. Within moments, they began looking around and attempted to get up as one; obviously, they were under the impression that they were still stuck together. However, the outcome of their attempt was fruitless and proved only to bring a slight grin on Zexion's features.

One of the soldiers wearing a full-face helmet cursed, "What the fuck man?"

"I told you, Private, we move as _one_. Not, one after another like when people do the wave." A soldier with a violet scarf sighed.

"Well, none of us would be in these stupid chains if you just let me pound those guys instead of order me back here like a jackass." The private raised his voice, "I'm better off on my own, teamwork is for fuck-tards."

"Watch your mouth," A hooded soldier hissed, "You don't sass a lieutenant…if one of the higher-ups heard you, like Captain Cale o-or even the Commander himself, you wouldn't be experiencing the leniency that our lieutenant is offering right now."

The private scoffed, "Sure thing, Sgt. Kiss Ass, but if this shit is what you consider 'leniency' then I'd hate to see real punishment."

Zexion crossed his arms and loomed over the talkative duo, "Punishment by my hand can be considered a trip to Hell, depending on your offence. From what I'm hearing, Private, yours could lead to a few little disciplinary exercises which involve both mental and physical strain up until you vomit, faint or accept your faults and agree to cooperate with your lieutenant."

"C-C-Commander Zexion?" The private stuttered.

Next to him, the sergeant looked away and his hood almost fell, "You are _so_ on your own…"

"Commander, it is a relief to see you here," The lieutenant stated as he sat cross-legged on the ground, "To be honest though, I thought you wouldn't even arrive to save us."

The Schemer rolled his eyes and then motioned for the unit to follow him, "If I were in your position, I'd doubt the thought of a rescue as well. But enough of this, we've got twenty-eight minutes to get an aircraft up in the air before…just move your Hearts-damned asses and follow me!"

Looking to his unit the lieutenant tried moving his wrists. He found that they were loose and got up, quickly moving to help the other seven soldiers. The private squirmed a bit and avoided facing Zexion directly. A slight snicker left the hooded soldier's lips as he summoned his keyblade, appearing to hold it in reverse. Once all the others had summoned their weapons, Zexion began running towards the staircase.

-Rescue Team I-

"C'mon you twats, move your asses toward the Draegoons! And take those bloody boxes with you," Luxord yelled over the fires as he hauled Larxene over his shoulder.

Xigbar shot down a few soldiers as he fell back towards the platforms, "Damn it man…these guys need to chill."

Water spewed forth from a nearby building, followed by Demyx and a large number of Council soldiers. Roxas flipped over some fallen beams and ran toward Luxord. The Gambler patiently waited for the short blonde and then they headed towards the platforms. Not too far away, snarling echoed and they increased their pace. Demyx caught up with them with his temporary unit and they all skidded to a stop in front of one Draegoon.

"Well shit…" Demyx looked behind as the soldiers climbed onboard, "We managed to save a lot of our soldiers, but I don't think there's enough room on the Draegoon…"

Luxord frowned and then proceeded to hand Larxene over to Demyx as Roxas rushed past them, "Take your pretty bird and see that this Draegoon takes off, we don't have much more room in there for all the soldiers that will be arriving."

"W-wait, my 'pretty bird'? Never mind, what about you, Lux? I can't leave you behind like this." Demyx carried the nymph awkwardly as he was gently pushed up the Draegoon's ramp.

"English slang, luv, it's English slang and I've had an earful of your yapping so get out of here!" The Gambler hopped off the ramp as it was being raised.

"Stop that," The Nocturne yelled out, causing some of the soldiers to scramble to the ramp's controls, "Are you sure about this? Just hop back on and we'll find another way to-!"

Luxord became frustrated and glared at the soldiers for a moment before looking back at the Nocturne, "I am abso-bloody-lutely sure about this, now get going you wanker!"

Demyx frowned as the ramp continued to close and then turned to rush further into the hangar. Seeing that the dirty blonde was in the Draegoon, Luxord turned his attention to the Council soldiers just arriving. The platinum blonde sighed as he tried to spot another form of transportation. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him and the many soldiers that had arrived. A gasp escaped his lips as the ramp was lowered down, five feet above the ground. Dark green soldiers tumbled down the ramp as Xigbar shot two others down and then turned to look down below. The Freeshooter yelled something into the hangar and the Draegoon was lowered. Luxord motioned for the soldiers to hop on board as he snapped his fingers to turn nearby House soldiers into some die. Smirking at his temporary handiwork, the Brit rushed onto the ramp and felt it being raised.

"Time's running out…have you seen the Lacrimosa?" Luxord panted as he jogged up to Xigbar.

The Freeshooter shrugged, "Twelve minutes left and nothing else is in the sky…once our operators tap into the communications systems and get a hold of Simone, we'll just ask to stay a bit longer…"

A sigh left the Brit's lips as he patted Xigbar's shoulder, "Don't worry luv, maybe Zexion's just experiencing a little delay. We'll see that Gummi up in the air soon."

"Did the other three make it to the other Draegoon?" Xigbar began heading to the bridge.

Luxord nodded as he walked beside the distressed male, "I saw them run in there myself along with some of the soldiers we saved…I'm quite shocked to see how many were here."

"Good," A frown appeared on the Freeshooter's features, "All those people must've tried to reach the Draegoons that weren't sabotaged, and they must've seen a lot of friends die. Was any one of ours hurt?"

"Larxene was caught under a fallen beam, but I got her out of there." The air became heavy as they continued to walk side-by-side.

Xigbar's frown deepened, "Nothing serious right?"

"The beam wasn't heavy enough to have broken anything, but it knocked her out." Luxord watched as the Freeshooter stalked over to some controls.

"Let's get in the air and then signal the other Draegoons. Captain Wu, I hope you don't mind helping us for a while longer." Xigbar looked to the old man wearing a dark green jumpsuit.

Captain Wu bowed, "Not at all, sir."

-Rescue Team II-

Marluxia chopped off a soldier's head before turning to Zexion, "Why are we in the living quarters again?"

"I needed to grab something from my room, aside from save our soldiers from their captors within these halls." The slate haired Nobody replied as he walked over to another door, "Plus, the other elevators probably wouldn't have worked."

"That's an elevator?" Marluxia didn't look convinced as he motioned for the soldiers to keep close.

Zexion rolled his eyes, "Technically speaking, yes."

The Assassin exhaled sharply, "What the fuck do you mean by 'technically'?"

"It is what it is; now quit asking so many questions!" Typing in a code, a laser appeared over the door and then scanned the people in the hallway.

Impatiently tapping his foot, Marluxia glared at Zexion. Once he no longer felt the floor underneath him, the need to glare at the Schemer vanished. The soldiers behind him were panicking as well. Marluxia felt uneasy and reached out to grab Zexion's arm, only to stumble and wrap his arms around the Schemer instead. Zexion grumbled to himself and then pried the pink haired man's arms off. A wave of nausea ran through Marluxia as he almost fell back, but a hand tightened around his own.

"Won't you just calm down already?" Zexion asked as their surroundings suddenly became slightly clear.

Regaining his balance, the Assassin looked around, "Where are we?"

"We're just about to exit the elevator. Once our surroundings become even clearer, I'll head into the cockpit and you will instruct the soldiers to find somewhere to seat themselves."

Marluxia blinked as soon as the dark purple corner couch and the crystal coffee table materialized, "Of course."

Zexion hurried to the white door leading to the cockpit as Marluxia turned to face the soldiers, "Alright, I want everyone to get settled down in a seat! We've only got about eleven minutes to get this thing in the air and considering the fact that there's quite a few of you, most of those minutes will be used just trying to scramble to a seat."

The soldiers nodded and occupied the corner couch, the seats built into the sides next to the exit and the lounge chairs bolted to the floor across from them. All the other soldiers left standing went down the hall and into Lacrimosa's 'nightclub'. Luckily, some chairs and tables were bolted to the floor there and they settled themselves there, holding onto the tables because of the lack of seatbelts. Marluxia nodded as soon as he saw everyone was seated and prepared for take-off. Rushing back down the hall, he entered the cockpit and took the co-pilot's seat.

"Everyone is seated?" The pink haired man looked hurt at the question.

Zexion raised an eyebrow and turned to face Marluxia as he replied, "Do you doubt my ability to get people in their seats?"

"I'm only double checking… Anyway, we just have to get the hangar doors open and then we'll be up in the air."

Marluxia wore a confused expression, "Where exactly is Fenrir's hangar anyway?"

The Schemer seemed to be listening for something before he responded, "Underneath the training field."

"How the heck was the Gummi moved here? I never heard anything about it before…"

"Where we landed on the cliffs, there was this transportation satellite positioned above it," Zexion flipped up some switches and put on his headset, "And the satellite beamed Lacrimosa here."

The Assassin looked irritated after processing the information, "Why couldn't _we_ have been beamed here?"

"The satellite doesn't pick up organic material. So even if we waited in the ship to be beamed, we'd just end up finding ourselves falling onto the ground…potentially without clothes…"

"I see but still, it seems like a waste of resources if it can't pick up a living being and transport them where they're needed." Marluxia muttered as he put on a headset.

_I hope the bullet doesn't jam anything. I already have enough riding on my shoulders and now my lieutenant is arguing with me on the usefulness of some transportation device… _Zexion sighed, "Quit your bloody whining…"

Lacrimosa began hovering upward as the Schemer typed in some commands into one of the panels. Marluxia gave Zexion a weird look as he flipped some switches on his side of the cockpit. Ignoring the look, Zexion flew the Gummi over Fenrir and then tapped the radar on the panel. Rolling his eyes, Marluxia turned his gaze to the radar and glanced at some gauges.

"The radar's picking up five other aircrafts, located southwest of our location. Four of them are marked with a diamond and the fifth one is a circle."

Exhaling sharply, Zexion rubbed his temple, "Let's hope that Marco's assumption about the House's soldiers is true and that the circle is just a hijacked Draegoon."

The pink haired man scoffed, "Yeah, here's hoping…"

Zexion began flying Lacrimosa in the direction of the other ships, "We'll be hovering over the Reception soon, get over the intercom and tell some of the soldiers to man the turrets."

"But, they don't even know where the turrets' controls are located." Marluxia remarked as his finger hovered over a button.

"There's an elevator located next to the bar in the club. The control rooms will be located on the second floor, third and fourth door to the right."

Sighing, the Assassin began speaking over the intercom. Zexion hovered Lacrimosa in-between the House's Draegoon and the Draegoon that bore the Light's emblems. A purple tinted visor appeared over Zexion's eyes, showing two icons that indicated that turrets two and six were ready. A few minutes later, four other icons popped up. Pressing a button on his headset, the Schemer dismissed his heads-up display and then pulled up a holoscreen. Marluxia watched as he dragged data across the screen and then pull up a map. Zexion expanded the map and then panned it around to view all the worlds. After tapping one of the worlds, he dismissed the holoscreen and looked to the Assassin.

Marluxia raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Try to contact the Draegoons before anything hap-." His words died in his throat as four holoscreens popped up. _Apparently the bullet doesn't affect Lacrimosa's communications much and is prevented from jamming any other systems…_

_A merciful hand will one day be severed off by those it pardoned._

_-So it may be, but I stand by my beliefs.-_

_Fool. If you chose to rule without mercy, then there would be no opposition. There would be no rules other than your own._

_-Where would be the joy of seeing others finding their way again? What of the limitations one would plan to try to break?-_

_I find joy in seeing others fail and suffer._

Cale banged his head against the table, "We aren't getting anywhere with all this waiting…"

Axel rolled his eyes at him, "Quit bitchin' about it. We just have to wait for four more minutes."

"These are the longest four minutes of my life…" Weavel sighed into his hands.

Yuki nodded in agreement, "If we were supposed to leave, we should have done that a long time ago. All this inaction makes me wanna kill something even more."

"At least they managed to shut off that damn alarm…" Cale muttered.

"Can we all just calm down? The operators have reported other aircrafts in the vicinity and we'll have them on-screen soon." Simone huffed as she took a seat beside Marco.

Xemnas rubbed his temples, "My…friends…are somewhere down there and we've been waiting here doing nothing for forty-two minutes. One of them was tortured by a fucking cyborg, shot by a traitor and then decided to run off into battle with the metal asshole that's been giving him Hell for a long time."

"I was hoping I could have a chat with the guy." Xaldin remarked as he examined the tip of one of his lances.

Lexaeus silently agreed while Marco groaned, "Gentlemen, violence isn't exactly the answer here."

The Flurry shrugged, "The guy _is _right, violence isn't the answer…"

He received a glare from Xemnas, but continued to speak, "Violence is the question, and the answer is yes. Got it memorized?"

"NO…no…that isn't…oh man…" Marco crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down.

Vexen walked back over to the table after examining the operators' monitors, "We should be in contact with the others right about…now!"

Three holoscreens popped up and the Nobodies in the room sighed in relief as soon as they saw their friends. Zexion nodded in acknowledgement of everyone on screen as Marluxia mentioned something about less work for him, Xigbar was wiping sweat from his forehead while Luxord just smiled and Demyx was rubbing the wound on his arm, slightly waving at them with Roxas rolling his eyes in the background. Noticing the absence of an Organization member, Xemnas raised an eyebrow. Saix snapped to attention as the Superior jumped out of his seat. It wasn't long before Zexion seemed on edge as well.

"Hey…where the Hell is my sister?" The Schemer was glaring.

Roxas smacked his forehead as Demyx moved out of the way to show that Larxene was resting in the captain's chair, "I told you we should've moved a chair up here!"

Luxord sighed, "Crisis averted, now can we all get going now?"

"Of course, but you'll all be heading out without me." Zexion replied.

Marluxia was shocked, "Wait, wait, we're staying behind?"

The Schemer rolled his eyes, "No, _I_ will be staying behind for another few minutes. There's some unfinished business that needs to be attended to near the Council Building."

"Just because we got that damn transmission doesn't mean-!" Marluxia tried to reason as Zexion unbuckled himself.

"I'm being considerate. Although, leaving this place with only one ship will be much more difficult later compared to now, we'll still need him on our side," Xigbar was becoming irritated.

The Freeshooter frowned, "What are you two arguing about?"

Marluxia stopped glaring at Zexion, "We received a transmission from Alaryn. He helped us save some soldiers earlier by distracting these…'Eradicators'."

Simone exhaled sharply, "Eradicators…what are those things?"

"The things that nearly killed me off during our previous battle with the House," Zexion replied as he pressed a few buttons on the panel.

"What the Hell are you planning? I'm gonna go with you, just tell me where to catch up with you!" Roxas exclaimed as Lacrimosa's holoscreen began going static.

Suddenly one of the operators onboard the Draegoon where Simone and the others were spoke, "We've connected all of the aircrafts' travel systems. If one ship heads out, we'll follow and head into jump space."

Zexion looked back into the screen and then activated something, waving goodbye as he disappeared through a Portal. Lacrimosa's holoscreen shut down and the other two followed as all of the ships began leaving the world. Vexen stumbled as the Draegoon stabilized itself before starting to travel through jump space. Within minutes everyone saw the stars and a few worlds pass through them in the blink of an eye, right outside their windshields.

"Damn it, what the Hell is that idiot doing!" Xemnas roared as he fell back into his seat.

Saix steadied himself against the table, "Let's hope he gets out of there soon. Alaryn better have a good reason for compelling Zexion to help his sorry ass."

-Back at the Graveyard, Council Building-

Seventeen swung down and hit the corner of the building instead of the cyborg. Alaryn scrambled onto his feet and then cast firaga at an incoming Eradicator. The monster roared in pain as it landed a foot away from where he stood. Dodging another swing of Seventeen's keyblade, Alaryn ran back towards the Council Building. Suddenly, he was knocked down by a thunder spell. Crawling backwards until his back hit the wall, Alaryn watched as a Dawn faction soldier appeared. The soldier walked peculiarly and it seemed that a few parts of their armor were missing.

"You should watch where you aim your spells. But, I'm glad to see a…friendly…face?"

A distorted growl emitted from the soldier and its features could now be seen more clearly. Its chest was torn open, showing a blackened beating heart along with other blackened organs. A blade protruded from one of its forearms and the other had some kind of black liquid seeping from a gash. On its head was a broken helmet, the visor only covered one eye and parts of the chin could be seen. The eye that was visible was a solid eerie blue and its skin was a sickly grey color that could show its blackened veins underneath. Another growl left the soldier as it stopped walking.

Alaryn used the wall to support him as he stood up, "What the Hell are you?"

"This is one of the Established, _Master_ Alaryn. I would think that you knew what it was, considering your former allegiances." Seventeen appeared from the left, with other 'Established' figures following.

"I don't understand…the Established were so…human!" The cyborg exclaimed as more distorted growls were released.

Seventeen continued with his indifference, "We needed to infiltrate the Council and exterminate them, as you know. So, we convinced you to convince others to join our cause and then they were brought before the Lord Chamberlain and three of the Stewards. The Lord Chamberlain and my colleagues created the beings you see before you now. Their outward appearance before was to prevent any suspicion."

One of the Established behind Seventeen began walking toward Alaryn, "We…trusted…you!"

The soldier that cast thunder at him before began advancing as well, "You…promised…rebirth!"

"We…were…to…be…salvation!" Another soldier was advancing and soon, all the other Established were preparing to attack.

Summoning his keyblade, Alaryn lashed out at them and released a wave of fire, "Stay away from me!"

Some of the Established stumbled back or were knocked down. The liquid that seeped off their arms was pooled into their hand. Suddenly, the liquid formed into a rod and then became a mock version of a keyblade. Seventeen looked at Alaryn with mild contempt before taking a few steps back. Motioning for the Established to go ahead and attack, the Steward sat down on some fallen debris.

Snarling, the Established launched themselves forward and aimed for the cyborg's chest. Something landed in front of Alaryn before the Established could reach him, and as it touched the ground, a shockwave of ice greeted the former soldiers. Looking at the figure standing tall in front of him, Alaryn stood up and put his claw on their shoulder. Glancing back at him, Zexion wore a weary expression before quirking his lip up for a slight grin. Their reunion was short-lived as black liquid leaked from some of the frozen soldiers. The liquid seemed to take a life of its own as it snaked around the icy shell that covered its masters and then became a spiked chain. The chain tightened and broke some of the Established free from their icy prison.

Seventeen stood up, expressing interest in the turn of events. A slight frown was on his lips as Zexion slashed away at some of the Established. The frown deepened when Alaryn set those soldiers ablaze. Narrowing his eyes, Seventeen summoned his weapon and hopped onto the debris he had previously been sitting on and then went higher up until he stood over them on the remains of the Council Building roof. More Established soldiers fell as the Schemer and the cyborg switched roles; Alaryn knocked one down with the sweep of his leg, grappled onto another with his claw and threw it into one of its friends. Zexion put his white and teal colored keyblade, Damnation, in front of him and held his right arm behind him, wielding Redemption in reverse and then cast a beam of dark energy at the knocked down soldiers. Twirling Redemption around, Zexion went back into his regular fighting stance.

An Established soldier hissed and began fleeing, but burst into ash after being shot down by Seventeen, "You may not leave this battleground alive you ingrate!"

Glaring at the officer that stood on the roof, the Schemer yelled, "Why have you done this to all these people?"

"So, you are the one that _they_ fear…" Seventeen mused before leaning against his cane gun, "It is such an honor to meet you."

"You son of a—wait-why is your scent so…familiar?" Zexion lowered his keyblades for a moment.

Alaryn released a breath out of exasperation, "Who gives a shit if his scent is familiar? He's gonna kill us if we just stand around!"

Shaking his head, Zexion raised his keyblades up, "Right, forgive me… Care to elaborate on who '_they_' are? You have stood on the sidelines as we slaughtered some of your 'Established'."

"Correct, I have simply watched you fight. Who's to say that I won't continue to stand here? There are more of our Established around you, so don't think that you can get away. As for whom _they _are, I won't say a word." The officer lifted his cane and rested it on his shoulder as he crouched down, "Now, prove your worth to me."

"We have nothing to 'prove' to _you_." Alaryn hollered as he smacked away an Established.

Seventeen nodded, "_You _don't have to prove anything to me, but the Nobody does. Quindi, non essere timido ora. Voglio una performance memorabile."

As the officer sat down on the ledge, the remaining soldiers that weren't frozen, set ablaze, or otherwise began their attack once again. Zexion lifted himself off the ground and then threw Redemption down at the crowd of Established soldiers; it created another shockwave of ice, leaving some trapped in another icy prison while others were knocked down. The cyborg was pinned to the ground as a soldier punched his visor mercilessly. Struggling, Alaryn brought his claw up to the Established soldier's face and then gouged out its visible eye and then kicked it off, getting back up on his feet. Another Established had latched on to him from behind and began driving the pommel of its keyblade on the back of his helmet. Cracks began appearing on his visor, as he thrashed around the area and the smacks ceased; they were quickly replaced by quick jabs from the soldier's bladed arm. Zexion noticed Alaryn's distress and then threw Redemption at the Established. The keyblade spun around at an alarming speed, but was stopped once the tip of the blade was embedded into the soldier's forehead.

Feeling the weight of his assailant leave his shoulders, the cyborg straightened himself out, "You have my thanks."

"Totally unnecessary," Zexion struck down an Established and then bathed his right forearm in teal flames, "Burn in Hellfire!"

A wave of fire was pushed onto the soldiers and they roared in agony. Extinguishing the fire on his arm, Zexion turned to see Alaryn throwing back Redemption. The Nobody caught it with ease and then looked up at Seventeen for a moment before slicing down another soldier. As some of the Established were being slain, Seventeen had gotten up from his position and was met by another Imperial looking officer. The other officer bowed before Seventeen.

"My Lord, do you require my assistance?" The other man looked to the fight below them and then back to Seventeen.

Seventeen looked the officer over, "Good to see you again, Ruin."

"It is always a pleasure, My Lord, but the task at hand…requires more attention don't you think?" Ruin's wandering gaze was met by Zexion's cold glare.

"I am aware that these…Councilors…demand proper attention. However, I won't need your assistance just yet. Only when the time is right will we face the Council head on. Return to the Spire and wait until my return, I want to test _him_." Seventeen spun his cane around.

Ruin looked to Seventeen with a concerned expression, "As long as you are safe. Until the end, My Liege."

He jumped down from the roof, landing in front of Zexion and Alaryn. The two braced themselves only to watch as Ruin briskly walked out of sight, his trail soon blocked off by the fires. Zexion looked up at Seventeen and then glanced around. Several Established were still standing and any means of escape was quickly being reduced as the fire continued to spread around the area. Gunshots interrupted the Schemer's thinking and all of his attention was turned on Seventeen. The end of the officer's cane, which looked like the head of a snake, released wisps of smoke as it was aimed at something. Alaryn tapped Zexion's arm and then gestured to where the Established once stood. In their places were heaps of ash and the Nobody couldn't help but feel slightly grateful. _But there must be a reason for killing off his own soldiers…_

Jumping down in front of them, Seventeen twirled his cane gun and examined his keyblade, "Your performance with the Established was mildly disappointing… I hope you don't mind having a new opponent in their stead."

"It'll make the experience worthwhile, I'm sure." Zexion drawled as he readied his keyblades.

"No need for such a tone here, we're all reasonable gentleman. Although…fighting two-on-one seems a bit unfair, don't you agree?" Seventeen jumped behind them and aimed his cane gun once again.

**_Bang!_**Alaryn was pushed into the ruins of the Council Building and suddenly a purple barrier surrounded the two standing key-bearers. Zexion took a step back and analyzed the situation. Seventeen's keyblade was reminiscent of a kilji. _What do I know about kiljis? …Not much but…I believe they're quick so I'll have to try to keep out of range. _The officer went on the offensive while Zexion was still thinking, which threw the Nobody off.

Seventeen frowned as the Schemer rolled away after receiving a ghost of a cut on his forearm, "Pity, I thought you would be a lot more attentive."

Zexion pivoted himself on his right foot to avoid another attack and then slashed the Steward away, "Well, there's always the counterattack."

"Yes, we cannot overlook that aspect." Seventeen jumped back and slightly bowed, "Formal introductions are in order before our duel truly begins; I am Seventeen, Steward of the House's Negotiations and the Seeker of Ruin."

"You have a way of talking yourself out of this fight…" Zexion stated sarcastically and then frowned, before slightly bowing as well, "I am Master Zexion, Commander of the Twilight faction and the Cloaked Schemer of Organization XIII."

Seventeen rubbed his chin, "Zexion…a very unique name."

"Thank you, but…'Seventeen' doesn't seem like a name. It sounds more like a title." The Schemer responded as he prepared to fight.

The officer shrugged as he aimed his cane gun, "Well, some things in the House never seem to fit into place. I'm sure you've felt the same."

Zexion's eyes widened and then quickly narrowed as he launched forward. Seventeen sidestepped but was still hit by Redemption's blade. Stumbling back, the Steward put a fist over his chest and then fired at his opponent's leg. Jumping up, Zexion kneed the officer and then slashed down, but the Steward was gone. The end of Seventeen's cane was tapping his shoulder, so the Schemer turned around to see the 'mouth' of the cane gun's snake head in his face. But the Steward lowered his cane and fired at the center of Zexion's chest. Flying back into the barrier, a wave of electricity ran through the Schemer's body and he cried out in pain. It took only a second for Seventeen to suddenly appear in front of Zexion with his keyblade ready to impale him. The Schemer's response was to roll out of the way and then sweep the Steward's legs. As the officer fell, Zexion jumped up and then stomped on his left arm. Seventeen grunted in pain as he let go of his cane.

"You're pretty light on your feet." The Nobody grabbed the cane and then threw it to the side.

Seventeen struck Zexion's shin with the pommel of his keyblade and then hopped up, "I underestimated your strength…"

Shrugging, Zexion regained his balance and stabbed the ground with Redemption, covering the ground in a sheet of ice, "Most people do; it helps make certain jobs easier."

Cursing at his inability to balance himself, Seventeen slipped and fell back. Zexion strode over to him with ease and then kicked the Steward's side. Seventeen glared at him and made a move toward his cane, only to have his arm stepped on again. Suddenly, a smirk appeared on the Steward's face as he repeated his actions from before. However, he grabbed his cane before he hopped up and then aimed at the Nobody. The shot missed but left Zexion disoriented for a moment. This allowed the Steward to lunge forward with his keyblade. His attack broke through the armor that protected Zexion's abdomen. Stumbling backwards and then falling onto his butt, the Schemer examined the wound. _Just a minor cut…I'm surprised it didn't go far._ The sound of shuffling caught the Nobody's attention as he looked up to see Seventeen awkwardly making his way to stand over him.

Sliding to a stop and nearly falling over, Seventeen leaned on his cane, "Master Zexion, it was an honor to battle you, but I'm afraid we're to part ways now. Being the fair man I am, I shall grant both you and Alaryn passage out of here."

"What's the catch?" Zexion got on his feet and then dismissed the ice sheet.

"It isn't necessarily a catch, Commander, but a…display of respect between fighters."

The Schemer looked cynical, "And what exactly have I done to warrant respect from you?"

"Reputation is one thing," Seventeen grinned, "But we do not have the luxury of time to speak about such things, do we?"

"I find it hard to believe my reputation would grant me safe passage…"

Rolling his eyes, the Steward sighed, "I…I don't really have a legitimate reason for releasing you two, but something just tells me to let you live for now."

Zexion crossed his arms, "For now?"

"Look, just grab your friend and then get out of here!" Seventeen yelled as he dismissed the barrier and strode away.

As the Steward left his sight, the Nobody made his way over to Alaryn. The cyborg was just getting up onto his feet as Zexion neared him. Once Alaryn was back on his feet, Zexion's arms became engulfed in a grey aura. He formed an orb in his hands and then pointed it at the ground. A bright light surrounded both of them and the aura became focused, augmenting the size of the orb. Alaryn looked around them and felt a wave of weightlessness wash over him. The cyborg turned his gaze onto Zexion. Something seemed wrong with him, he was…crying? _The tears are of blood…I didn't do that did I? _ The Schemer didn't seem to notice as a few teardrops left his eyes. _I don't even think Zexion knows he's crying._ Alaryn waved a hand in front of the Nobody's cobalt eyes. _It must be the orb that holds his attention now._ Sighing, the cyborg sat cross-legged on the ground. The light dulled a bit and he could see thin strings of light pass around them. When Alaryn looked at the 'ground' he saw a bright white platform. Wiping his hand across the surface, a wisp of light seemed to float across his hand and disappear. The cyborg watched as more wisps trailed behind the platform and into the dark space. _We're traveling on light…but…_ Alaryn stood up and looked to Zexion. The Nobody was breathing unevenly as the platform's speed increased.

"Hey, Zexion, you can slow down you know. We're in no rush…" It was painfully obvious now that their mode of transportation was wearing down the Schemer.

Alaryn laid a hand on his shoulder, so the Nobody responded tiredly, "We're almost there, Alaryn. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"You're breathing haggardly, Zexion, I'm beginning to worry."

"I'll be fine, I promise. Just a few more minutes and Castle Oblivion will be in sight."

An exasperated sigh left the cyborg as he took a hold of one of Zexion's arms. The Nobody shrugged him off and focused his gaze on the stars ahead of them. Moments later, a world appeared some distance away. The bottom of it was rocky and some sort of castle rested on it. Suddenly the world didn't seem too far off and Alaryn was launched forward. He rolled for a bit against an purple-orange colored ground. Zexion stood not too far from him. The Schemer was eerily still, and then his knees buckled under him. Alaryn struggled to his knees and looked around. His gaze was trained on the castle for a moment and then he looked around for his companion. Strained coughs were heard to his right and the cyborg rushed to see where they came from. Alaryn rushed to the fallen Nobody's side. A small pool of blood had formed around Zexion's midsection. Turning him over, Alaryn finally noticed the injury. There was a stab wound, at least an inch deep, and it was bleeding profusely. _How come I didn't notice this before? How come he didn't say anything? He has multiple wounds and he won't let anyone do anything… This Nobody is so stupid, hiding his injuries as if they don't matter. _Alaryn hauled Zexion onto his shoulders and made his way to the castle doors.

-Inside Castle Oblivion, Sometime Earlier-

"I remember why I never liked coming here now," Xemnas thought aloud as he walked down the hall with Saix, "This place can be so damn confusing."

The Diviner shrugged, "Well, if _you_ find it confusing then our guests must find it frustrating."

"Marluxia showed them around 'less confusing' parts of the castle. But, I'm sure we'll be hearing something about where the meetings will be held." The silver haired man stopped in front of a staircase and two other hallways.

"Up these stairs, S—Xemnas, I recall Marluxia mentioning some kind of room suitable for a meeting on a higher level."

Nodding, Xemnas hopped up the stairs with Saix not too far behind, "Honestly, maybe if I had gotten around to familiarizing myself with this place I could just open a Corridor to it without fail."

The blue haired man behind him rolled his eyes. They stopped at the top of the stairs to find three more hallways. Xemnas cursed and rubbed his temple with his left hand as Saix took a hold of his right arm. Traveling down one of the hallways, they came to a stop in front of double doors. The Diviner opened the door to find the rest of the Organization, save for Zexion, along with the remaining Council members and the captains. Xigbar fell from the ceiling in front of the pair and looked to them with a questioning gaze.

"Did you guys see any sign of Zexion?" The Freeshooter was anxious.

Clearing his throat, Xemnas put a hand on the ponytail-wearing man, "I'm afraid not."

"Damn…all this isn't looking very good." Weavel muttered as he leaned against a wall.

Roxas was looking out a window, "We shouldn't have synced the ships… Maybe then we would've been able to leave together."

Yuki frowned, "Alaryn must've done something. He must've just dragged Master Zexion down with him before dying…"

"He isn't dead! Zexion survived an attack from those Eradicators," Demyx argued.

Simone crossed her arms, wearing an indifferent expression, "We might have to face the possibility of Master Zexion's death. Think about it, how long have we been waiting?"

"About twenty minutes," Luxord pointed out as he shuffled his cards nervously.

"Half of the Graveyard was burning down and everything nearly in ruins; the destruction was severe when we arrived. Don't any of you agree that if we had stayed any longer, we would have seen everything engulfed by fire?" The Lady reasoned as she paced around.

Marluxia glared at her in annoyance, "Zexion's smart, he would've managed to pull something off before then."

Marco covered his face with his hands as Simone replied, "I don't doubt that, but he could've been outwitted. We cannot continue to wait for someone who may not arrive."

"Alright, I am getting sick of you and your pompous, half-assed theories!" Larxene summoned her kunai, "You are so… How can you be so…heartless? You don't even consider how on edge we feel! My brother went to save some asshole in an inferno and we never got the chance to help him."

Xigbar phased beside the Nymph and set his hands on her shoulders, "Look, lady, we don't need your indifference weighing down our feelings. If we lost someone, I would at least expect the courtesy of being allowed to mourn but then again, I would also like to be allowed some hope that maybe my son _did_ manage to get out of there."

"I am only facing reality as it is. No one who was left behind could have survived the destruction of the Graveyard, unless they were a member of the House." Simone met his glare.

Cale shuffled uncomfortably as a tension rose within the room, "May I speak?"

Xigbar and Simone shifted their cold glares toward the captain, "I'll take that as a maybe… Okay, so there is the fact that Graveyard is gone, but looking at the possibility of Master Zexion escaping in time is like looking at hope. We need hope in order to boost the morale of the soldiers and ourselves. None of the Twilight soldiers will shift factions, and having doubt in their leader will cause a divide. We are fiercely loyal to Master Zexion more than we will ever be to anyone else. No other person can replace him, not even you milady. I want to believe he survived and if he did, your Council has the support of my soldiers; if not, then I'm sure you can do without a 'lesser' faction."

"You know," Yuki piped up as she sat on the table, "I honestly have no legitimate opinion on this, and my outburst earlier was just a thought."

Weavel sighed, "I hope Alaryn burned, that's about the only thing good that can come from the destruction of the Graveyard."

Larxene dismissed her kunai and then stomped off to the side. Simone rolled her eyes and strode off to another part of the room with Marco trailing behind. The Freeshooter phased up onto the ceiling and then shut his eye. Demyx and Roxas went to talk with each other as everyone else seemed tense. Axel joined the duo after becoming bored with the task of attempting to light an ignorant Academic's hair ablaze. Minutes later, Lexaeus left the room and Marluxia went over to chat with the trio.

"Well that argument earlier sure did boost my spirits…" Axel put his arms behind his neck as he leaned against the wall.

Roxas scoffed as he crossed his arms, "There needs to be a new form of leadership within this Council."

"You think so? But, what exactly needs to be changed?" Marluxia asked.

"I dunno, maybe it's just certain _leaders _that need to be changed." Demyx nodded in agreement.

"That lady needs to chill…" The Nocturne tapped his chin, "Maybe we should like…give her alcohol!"

Axel snorted, "Dude, are you nuts? Think about the con—ah what do I care? Let's do it!"

Marluxia shook his head, "_Axel_, _Demyx_…"

"_Yes_, my dear motherly-sounding friend?" Axel looked at the Assassin after shushing Demyx.

"This won't end well and I don't want chaos in the castle." The Flurry stuck his tongue out at him.

"You aren't any fun," Axel complained, "She _needs_ to loosen up and quit making everybody feel shitty."

The pink haired man sighed, "Well, it won't do us any real good if she's drunk as Hell and we don't have a strategist anymore."

"Quit being my mom! We've got Xemnas and Vexen, so I don't see the need to worry. Got it memorized?" The redhead shoved Marluxia away.

Marluxia copied the action, "Maybe you should do something productive for once and then find a new fricking catchphrase!"

"Oh, you wanna see me do something productive? Wait 'til I get to that dumb garden of yours; I'll even spell out my catchphrase with the flames!"

"You wouldn't _dare_…" A smirk appeared on Axel's features.

Marluxia's eyes widened as the Flurry opened a Corridor, "I would dare and you can't stop me!"

The Assassin tackled Axel and they slid across the floor away from the Corridor. They traded blows and wrestled around the room. It wasn't long before everyone's attention was on them. Roxas shook his head and hid a grin behind his hand as Axel held Marluxia in a headlock. Grasping his captor's arm, the pink haired man threw him off to the side and then punched his nose. Crying out in pain, the Flurry glared at him and then swept his feet out from under him. Marluxia fell backwards with a loud thud and then was kicked in the side.

Demyx winced, "Do you think that maybe they're going too far?"

The blonde beside him shook his head, "Nah, they're fighting like…"

"Fighting like what," The Nocturne raised an eyebrow.

"I can't believe I'm seeing this…" Roxas wore a mixed expression, "But, Zexion's right…they could be brothers."

A sigh left the taller males lips, "Well, they _did_ kinda fight and tease each other a lot back at The World That Never Was."

The other teen opened a Corridor, "I'm gonna go rest a bit. See you later Dem-Dem."

"Alright, Roxy, see ya!" Demyx waved and slightly cringed at the sound of something crashing behind him.

"That is enough from both of you!" Xemnas marched over to the duo and then pointed to two different corners of the room, "Stand there and stay there."

"We're not children, Xemnas." Marluxia scowled.

Axel pouted and then jabbed his thumb in the Assassin's direction, "It's all his fault. Get _that_ memorized…"

The Superior looked up at the ceiling and then put a hand over his eyes, "I don't care who's fault it is, just go sit in the Hearts-damned corners!"

Saix shared a look with Xaldin, "I'm surprised neither of them has broken noses or bruises."

"Perhaps it was just a mock fight?"

"It didn't look like one…"

-Outside the Castle, Present Time-

Alaryn stumbled forward as soon as he reached the doors. He carefully set Zexion down and then leaned against the large double doors. They towered over him menacingly, but he pounded and kicked on them anyway. After two minutes passed, Alaryn slid onto his knees before the door. The cyborg banged his head against it, not caring that it worsened the cracks that had formed from the battle before. Slowly, he raised his fist and banged against the door and then a second time before leaning back.

"Please…open the door…!" Alaryn looked back at Zexion, "I can't heal him…! I…I don't know 'cure' or any other healing spells!"

The cyborg was sobbing as he weakly hit the door again, "I-I'm sorry for everything I've done…! Doesn't that…d-doesn't that warrant something…?"

His sobs grew louder as the large doors didn't budge. Alaryn began throwing punches at the doors repeatedly. Then he resorted to banging his head against them until parts of his visor chipped off. But then a cry of pain passed through Zexion's lips. The cyborg rushed back to his side and tried searching for the problem. Groaning, the Schemer sat up and removed his gauntlets, then fumbled with his sashes. Alaryn tried to help, but Zexion pushed him away. Discarding the sashes and his robe, the Nobody removed his cuirass and then tossed it to the side. A grey light emitted from his body and all of the wounds he had been hiding were visible. Alaryn carefully put his hand behind the Nobody and then looked over the wounds. Most of the lacerations were the same, the bruises hadn't gone away, and everything was bleeding. The worst of all the injuries was the one that ran diagonally across the Schemer's chest from the right shoulder. It seemed slightly deeper and a bit larger. _Come to think of it, I didn't actually do any of this to him. But…why can't I remember who it was that did?_ Another groan left the Nobody and he coughed, while he did, blood trickled down the sides of his mouth.

"I-I can't heal you…" Alaryn whispered as he continued to help Zexion sit up.

The Nobody smiled, "It's okay…not like any of it matters."

"Don't say that, it isn't true!" A chill ran down the cyborg's spine.

"Could you just find a way to fix my cuirass? When we enter, I wanna look like I'm fine."

A sob escaped the cyborg, "But, you're not f-fine."

Zexion looked at him, "When did you start caring?"

"It would be wrong to lie about your wounds, especially to your family."

"That never stopped you from lying to your friends in the Council. So tell me, who was it all for?"

Alaryn looked up into the sky, "I used to be human, completely human. Back then, I was married and had two kids. But an experiment went wrong and killed the 'fleshy' me and a bunch of people within two miles of the laboratory. My family lived nearby and…well…after that I engineered this claw and my helmet. From then on, I swore to myself I'd find a way to right my wrongs and bring back those people that I accidentally killed."

The slate haired Nobody smirked, "Sounds kinda familiar."

Looking back at Zexion, Alaryn tilted his head, "Really?"

"Definitely, only my story ended when I was a child. My colleagues and I went too far, died and then we found ourselves as Nobodies. However, our purpose after experiencing our deaths and the deaths of others seemed more…selfish."

"I see…it must've been quite a change for you."

Zexion looked away and then got up on his feet. He picked up his cuirass and then began looking over it. Alaryn shook his head and pulled the cuirass away from him. Sliding his claw over the surface, a black aura shaped around the broken metal. Within minutes the aura had hardened and made the armor appear as good as new. The Schemer reached out to retrieve his cuirass, but Alaryn held it out of his reach.

"Tell me something," The cyborg began.

A scowl was on Zexion's features, "Okay, 'something', now give me my cuirass!"

"No, you ass, I wasn't done talking yet! Tell me about your duel with Seventeen."

"Fine, it was violent. Now, give me the cuirass."

Alaryn set it aside and then held Zexion in place, "Tell me."

The Nobody crossed his arms and shut his eyes, "…Very well then. It didn't seem like an actual duel, it was as if he was holding back or toying with me, in a sense. At first, the style of his keyblade threw me off and I was analyzing the situation. He caught me off-guard because of this and seemed to favor the use of his cane gun for the offensive, so I don't think that was his real keyblade. In fact, I don't believe his weapon was really his; he didn't seem very familiar with it, hence the lack of use."

"Interesting…I would think that a House officer would take the opportunity to kill off a Councilor in a heartbeat. What exactly did the weapon look like?" Alaryn grabbed the cuirass once again.

"His weapon was a keyblade that looked like a kilji. Then, he let us leave for some sort of reason, but I don't have the slightest idea why…" The Schemer took the cuirass and slowly put it on.

Glancing back at the doors, Alaryn picked up the other discarded items, "Hm, that wasn't the one he tried to kill me off with and letting us go wasn't smart on his part. Anyway, I wonder why they don't have anyone at the door. Do they believe that we are dead?"

Zexion pulled his robe back on, "That is certainly the case; I mean, do you think anyone could have escaped the Graveyard under those circumstances?"

Silence fell over them as the Schemer wrapped his sashes on. After he put on his gauntlets once more and cast his illusion, Zexion walked over to the doors and knocked on it. The cyborg behind him scoffed and he continued to knock. Minutes passed and the Nobody abandoned the action. Looking at Alaryn and then the sky, he slid down against the doors until he was in a sitting position. Alaryn sat down next to him and watched the sky as well.

"Do you think they'll ever open the door?"

An empty chuckle left the Nobody, "I have some doubts, but perhaps later when they believe it is morning."

Alaryn sighed and brought his knees in, "You need medical attention."

"_You_ need to drop the thought of my injuries." Zexion countered.

"What you say now doesn't make those things disappear for good, y'know." Alaryn chided.

"I am aware…" Sighing, the Nobody hugged his abdomen, "But, some things just _are_ and _have_ to be."

Suddenly voices could be heard from the other side of the doors, faint but definitely there. Zexion hopped up and began banging on the doors. A groan left the magician and he too got up to bang on the doors. The voices stopped and hurried footsteps approached the door. Slowly, the door opened and the two key-bearers outside stopped hitting the door. But the door stopped moving and the voices began once again.

"Should we open it?"

"Dude, we should get one of the higher-ups!"

Zexion groaned and then yelled, "Open the door, it's me, Zexion!"

"OH SHIT IT'S THE GHOST OF MASTER ZEXION!" Hurried footsteps could be heard and became distant within seconds.

"Oh c'mon man…okay 'Zexion', I need you to wait for a bit. I'm gonna go…uh…get some friends to help me open the door."

"Great, more waiting…" Alaryn muttered.

Glaring at the cyborg, the Nobody motioned for him to be quiet, "They _do_ have to be cautious about situations like this. It wouldn't do the Council any good if we lost our second base of operations."

"There's no way any of the House's soldiers could trace us this far, plus, I'm sick of waiting around out here and worrying over an ass." The magician rested against one of the doors.

"No one said you hadto worry over a donkey, you know, I don't even see one around for miles…" Zexion crossed his arms, "And besides, this was an excellent way of bonding."

Alaryn shook his head, "Haha, very funny. But, you have got to be kidding me. This is the worst way possible to bond with someone that used to absolutely hate your guts."

The Nobody gasped, "How can you say—okay, never mind, that's true."

A minute of silence passed before Zexion spoke again, "So…you don't hate me now?"

"I still hate you, just not as much as before."

The Schemer sighed, "I suppose this can be remedied in the future. Now onto more serious matters…"

"I find it insulting to hear you say that our working relationship isn't serious." Alaryn stated sarcastically.

"Don't be bitter, _Darling_, I'm sure we'll find a way through these tough times," The cyborg shook his head at Zexion once again.

A smirk was on Zexion's face while the magician fumed at him, "How dare you make this sound as if we're some kind of…of…_thing_!"

"The word you're looking for is: item. You are angry that I am implying that we are an _item_."

Alaryn threw his arms up in exasperation, "I'm working with an absolute jackass. Just get on with whatever the Hell you wanted to talk about before."

Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, Zexion looked to the ground, "Honestly, there aren't any donkeys on this world but if you insist on bringing up that which isn't here, then do as you wish. What I was getting at before, was the current circumstances in this new Keyblade War."

"Oh I see, 'that which isn't here'…what bothers you then?"

"Not all of the key-bearers have gathered onto the field or chosen a side, I'm beginning to fear the chance of a third party rising to challenge fate." The Nobody shifted on his feet.

Scoffing, Alaryn looked around before turning to face Zexion again, "Are you suggesting that we run on a wild goose chase to find all these unaligned people and rally them to our side?"

Zexion frowned and shook his head, "That would be foolish, considering our lack of resources and the number of unaligned people throughout the worlds. I'm saying that **significant** people are missing; these people who could help turn the tide of battle in a heartbeat."

"A member from the House is on the wrong side? Is somebody dying from some sort of illness? Or is it something improbable, like a keyblade master finding themselves stuck in Absolute Darkness because of some selfless act? Who the Hell is missing from all this?" Alaryn moved from his spot on the door as it slowly creaked open.

"There are five key figures, no pun intended, that haven't revealed themselves to either side of this war; they haven't been seen for years. At least not that I am aware of… I don't know their names but, I do know at least something about all of them. One is lost to the Darkness, forever a prisoner of another key figure who is a keyblade master. Then there is another who searches to complete himself and a…_X_-blade, finally there are the last two figures. Of those two, there is one keyblade master who is lost in the Darkness and the other slumbers, waiting for 'rebirth'." The door swung open as Zexion sighed and looked to the sky.

A groan left Alaryn as he shook his head at the ground, "Five important people we don't really know a lot about…Hell, and we don't even know where to start looking, plus they've been gone for years. This is starting to sound like too much work; look at our resources and our chances of success and the fact that we have to juggle between keeping our presence hidden from the House yet known to the public in order to draw out these guys or at least some _rumors_ of them."

"I know…there are a lot of risks in trying to find these people and gain their loyalty," The Nobody's eyes gleamed as he stared at the sky, "However, the worlds' fates and billions of lives are riding on our shoulders; we _need _them."

"At least tell me you have an idea where we might find one of these guys. We can't just jump into the Darkness or look for a key-bearer being held captive on some random world…" Alaryn turned his gaze onto the people standing in the doorway before looking back at Zexion.  
>Wiping away the blood that pooled in his eyes, Zexion slumped his shoulders, "The one key-bearer who slumbers, I know where he rests. However, I do not know how to get to him."<p>

Alaryn scoffed, "Figures…where does he rest then? Is it some kind of remote world where Heartless roam or is it infested with monsters we've never faced before? Oh, oh I know, you don't know what world he's on but you do know what the building looks like."

"He's here in Castle Oblivion." Zexion drawled as the cyborg continued to rant.

"Or maybe he isn't really _sleeping_, he's just _dead_ and you don't want to believe it! Maybe the Council has officially lost this war and you want to keep fighting on some small speck of hope that doesn't really exist! There's no way that any of these figures will appear because it has been years since anyone has seen or heard of them." The magician waved his arms about, causing those standing behind him to duck their heads.

Wearing a grim smile, the Schemer looked down from the sky and at the cyborg, "You are absolutely right, _Darling_, there is no hope. No hope in us trying to save what we care about, **no hope **for _you_ or for **me**; there's no sense in trying to redeem ourselves of the sins we've committed. No way of feeling closure after killing so many, _losing_ too much."

Alaryn quieted down and looked to the ground, "…You have _no_ say on what I can do, _Honey_."

"Hypocrite," Zexion countered as he put his arms behind his back.

"Utter mistake," The cyborg hissed back.

Somebody cleared their throat behind them, but Zexion continued, "_Traitor_!"

"_Nobody_," Alaryn tried as he crossed his arms and looked back at the Schemer.

"Walking-Tin-Can!"

"Never-Should-Have-Been!"

"Heartless bastard!"

"Sorry-Excuse-of-a-Living-Being!"

"Lousy-Good-for-Nothing-Father!"

"Murderer!"

"You're one to talk; go look in a fucking mirror!"

"Failed Abortion!"

Zexion fell silent as Alaryn stood his ground. Wheezing could be heard from the cracks in Alaryn's visor. Both men stood glaring at each other, neither moving a muscle. A hand was set on Zexion's shoulder while another hand clenched the magician's. However, neither moved from their spots and the atmosphere became heavy with tension. After what seemed to be an eternity, the Schemer marched over to Alaryn and balled one of his hands into a fist. He pulled his arm back and then swung forward. The cyborg flinched, only to see a black metal fist in his visor.

Cobalt eyes darkened as they stared at the magician, "It was wonderful talking to you, _Darling_."

"S-same h-here, _Honey_…?" Alaryn took a step back and watched as Zexion stalked off into the castle.

"That argument could've ended a lot worse than it already did." The cyborg began walking in.

"It didn't have to be an argument in the first place," Marluxia frowned as he shoved him away from the door, "What exactly happened out here?"

Alaryn scoffed, "You make it sound like we did something _bad_. We merely 'bonded' together while waiting to get out of each other's sight."

Xigbar crossed his arms, "And back at the Graveyard?"

"I finally learned what an Established is; can I go in now?" The Freeshooter stepped aside for him.

"Oh, and you might want to pay closer attention to your friend, eh? We wouldn't want to lose our fearless leader." Alaryn began climbing some stairs.

Marluxia stared after him, "What do you mean?"

The cyborg's visor slowly began to fall apart as he disappeared up the stairs, "Pay attention or you might regret it."

-Fenrir, Central Courtyard-

Ruin took off his visor cap and began fanning himself, "How very frustrating…"

"Didn't I tell you to head back to the Spire?" Seventeen waltzed in, twirling his cane.

Rubbing his bare scalp, Ruin chuckled nervously, "I was worried for you, My Lord Seeker."

Seventeen rolled his violet eyes and then ran a hand through his raven black hair, "There was no need; I was merely observing the Commander's fighting style, along with his strength. I know why the Lord of the Manor and the Lord Chamberlain fear him."

"Mind telling me why?" The bald man sat down on some rubble.

"Yes, I mind. It really isn't too hard to figure out why. How about you tell me what you believe the reason to be? I might tell you if you're right or not." The white clad man sat on the fountain across from Ruin.

Bright red eyes narrowed in frustration, Ruin attempted to speak his thoughts, "The Schemer is stronger in certain areas of expertise than they are, he could easily best them if the battlefield is designed in a way he is familiar with."

Seventeen shrugged, "Ice seems to suit the Commander well, so I can agree with that statement, but the Chamberlain can easily rectify that."

"I also am aware that the Schemer is…very…er… skillful." Ruin tried again.

"Eh," The Steward sighed and shook his head.

Sighing, Ruin looked up, "My Liege, I do not know what could trouble our leaders about this man. I create problems, not solve them."

Seventeen smiled and walked over to his seated subordinate. He picked up the gold colored visor cap that had been abandoned on the ground and then dusted it off. After that was done, Seventeen placed it on Ruin's bronze colored head and then crossed his arms. He helped Ruin onto his feet and then compared their outfits. Ruin's outfit mimicked Seventeen's, but lacked the sash and the main color was gold with the trim being white. Gazing at their shoes, Seventeen noted that those were the only thing that was the same; black dress shoes. Ruin shifted under his gaze for a while.

"I wonder what the others would have said…but your guesses are valid. Honestly, the one reason I can tell you why they could possibly fear the Commander is because he is observant. Far too observant. He knew I was holding back and that my weapon wasn't my actual keyblade. Surprising, considering the fact we've only just met each other."

Ruin raised an eyebrow, "So they don't have any concerns about his fighting style? I would think that would cause at least a few problems."

The Steward shrugged, "Don't dwell on it. Besides, I've got something for you to do while I go report to the others."

"May I ask you something, My Lord?"

"I don't see the reason why not," Seventeen smiled, "You already did."

"It has come to my attention that I don't really know a lot about my superiors or my brothers and sisters-in-arms. Why is there so much secrecy within our household?"

Placing his cap back on his head, Seventeen spun his cane and began walking away, "The House hides its secrets even from its own members for a reason. But, I'll be fair enough to share some vague information with you. Including myself, currently there are eight members within our 'Inner Circle'."

"Assuming that all eight have right-hands, I have seven other members of the 'Outer Circle' to get familiar with." Ruin tapped his chin.

"I suppose you do, _after_ you deal with the task I have for you and _if_ your assumption is correct." The Steward threw back a canister.

Catching the item with ease, Ruin threw into the air and smashed it with his keyblade. It released a dark green smoke, a map and a few other items intended for Ruin's task.

**This is the longest chapter out so far.**

**Axel: You seem to put more and more words in each new chapter.**

**Demyx: (Pouts) I'm not getting enough screen time!**

**...**

**Xemnas: At least no one calls me by some embarassing nickname anymore. If less screen time is what it takes to do that, I'm happy.**

**Xigbar: Sure thing, SCJ!**

**Xemnas: Pardon?**

**Xigbar: Oh yeah, I forgot you preferred the long version. I'm sorry, Supreme Commander Jackass.**

**Xemnas: Read and Review...please. (Mutters) I'm beginning to wish he'd call me Mansex...**


	10. One Year Later

**How long has it been?**

**Zexion: An eternity. I'm hurt by the fact that you forgot about this.**

**I didn't forget! I just er...lost inspiration.**

**Luxord: So how exactly are you going to get back into writing this?**

**Time skips. Everyone loves them time skips.**

**Vexen: Joy of joys.**

**Xigbar: I seriously think you gotta fix those older chapters of yours.**

**A few crossovers included in this chapter. Guess what game(s) for yourself, I'll be sure to leave heavy implications cause I can't be vague.**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- **

**One Year After Loss of the Keyblade Graveyard**

**Setting: The Ruins of the Council's former HQ**

Violet eyes gazed at the old fountain. Even after a year, its waters flowed. Seventeen scoffed at the idea but was drawn back to the matters that truly concerned him. An entire year has gone by and not a word has come in about the whereabouts of the Council or his dear servant. The white-clad man rested his foot on a skull and rubbed his chin. Absolutely nothing had come up since that fateful day when the House burned most of this place down. Seventeen sighed, resigning himself to the fact that Ruin might as well might be dead.

"Damn war. Damn everything that has to do with it..." Taking his cap off, the man sighed.

Suddenly, the fountain's features shifted. The entire structure creaked and groaned as the wall between the wolf and the lion 'crumbled'. Color faded from the wolf as it was no longer made out of jewels, but was transferred to the swords. The lion pushed the sword underneath its paw away and the wolf took it in its mouth. Then the two crossed swords and a humming sound resounded throughout the ruins.

Seventeen gazed at it in wonder as vultures in the distance cried out and flew away, "Does this mean they are unified or at war with each other?"

FadedDreamsServeNoMasters

**Unknown**

A young man with slate hair knelt down in the center of the room. Walls of obsidian staring into him with a floor covered in dark purple tiles. The lone candelabrum's flame faintly flickered. Blood dripped from the wounds on the young man's body as an orb floated over him. A flash of white blinded him for a moment and then a ghostly figure appeared standing before him. The figure stood tall, his chestplate bearing two griffons, each with a wing raised up and his shield bore a laurel wreath on its surface.

"By the Maker, Zexion, what has happened to you?" The figure knelt down to level his eyes with the young man.

Zexion frowned, "The orb was the one who decided to contact you, Lucien."

Lucien's hands phased through the shoulders they tried to grasp, "Brother, why haven't you received healing?"

"You've had your fair share of wounds for the past few cycles, why can I not have mine?"

Dark stormy grey eyes stared at the slate haired man, and Lucien's deep, wise-sounding voice entered Zexion's ears, "Nevermind. I suppose our oath requires us to have such wounds. Ah the wonderful price of crossing dimensions for altruistic reasons."

Zexion winced, "So how are the others?"

"Gavin's being a pervert, always pestering some of us to do _things_. I don't care if it is a joke or not, but I wish he'd start acting how he usually does while in the dimension he's assigned instead of being a male version of Isabela."

"Can I assume the Mad God is doing his job?"

Lucien frowned, "As well as time traveling and bending some rules. Vercius can shout and drive people insane. Maker, he even met himself in person!"

The Nobody smiled and began casting ice spells on his wounds, "I'm going to assume that the Commander is well and the others are as they usually were."

"Home is as it should be." Lucien nodded, "I must go tend to a few things, Brother. Shadows keep you."

Standing up, Zexion caught the orb as it fell. Immediately, he began to regret getting up. Groaning, the Schemer clutched his ice-covered wounds and fell onto his butt. A sigh left his lips as he shut his eyes and made his way to a wall. Casting his illusion, Zexion opened a Portal and entered it. His thoughts briefly went to his raven-haired brother and his other brothers that weren't necessarily in his inner circle. Shaking his head, Zexion squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of Castle Oblivion's interior.

FadedDreamsServeNoMasters

**Castle Oblivion: Meeting Room**

"Zexion, it is good you finally decided to join the rest of us." Simone was leaning against the table that rested in the center of the room.

The commander of the Twilight shook his head, "More like, 'what is left of us'."

Frowning, the green-haired woman glared at him, "Be a bit more sensitive, would you? We've lost people dear to us in the past year. Our unity matters now, more than ever."

"It should have mattered a year ago - no - ever since this Council started!" Zexion banged a fist against the wall, "My family is gone now because of our reluctance to be a team. Captains Raes and Cale are gone, Lieutenants Tomeo and Lonestar are gone..."

Alaryn watched on, his solid red eyes glowing, "We all mourn, un-der-stand that. But they are not gone for-ev-er. We must catch up with Ru-in and rescue your fam-i-ly. It is un-for-tu-nate that Marco Raes could not be saved from his fate, it is also un-for-tu-nate that Captain Cale died in our first rescue attempt, but life must go on."

"I hate how you have to sound out words that way. Ever since you needed to replace your robotic parts..." Simone shuddered.

"A ne-ces-sary sa-cri-fice," Alaryn twitched a bit and then his claw popped off his arm, "Oh shit."

Zexion fixed his cuirass and winced, "In any case, we should prepare ourselves. With the rescue of my family and the rest of our forces, perhaps we can gain contact with King Mickey and Masters Riku and Sora."

The crimson cyborg twitched before exitting the room, "I shall start _Fantasma _and find a new claw."

"Finally, a word you don't have to sound out like an idiot." Simone followed after him.

Zexion strained to hear Alaryn's response, "Would you like me to, milady? FFFFFFaaaaannnnn-tttttaaasss-mmmmmaaa."

"Hearts' Mercy..."

Their voices became too distant for the Schemer to pick out, so he stopped trying and stared up at the ceiling. A smile was on his features and he hummed a song to himself. _Today will be a day of celebration and mourning._ _After all, today is my birthday..._ The slate-haired young man rubbed his left arm and then his chest. Red hot tears fell from his eyes. Zexion covered his mouth and coughed.

"Happy death-day, you lying bastard. Happy twenty-second birthday. 'Late teens' my ass..." The Nobody took in a calming breath and summoned a Portal.

FadedDreamsServeNoMasters

**Terminus: Rooftop of the Dragon's Tongue**

A black man clad in a gold dress uniform paced around a cage filled with people. His eyes darted from looking at his captives to the people raving in the streets. Overhead, he could see a sleek jet-like Gummi ship approaching them. It hovered over the rooftop and someone dropped down from its side door. Narrowing his eyes, the man stepped forward and summoned his keyblade.

The person that dropped out of the jet had a mop of blue hair on his head that covered his right eye. He was dressed in a suit, which reminded the key-bearer of a school uniform, with headphones resting on his neck and a red armband on his sleeve. The blue-haired young man unholstered a gun from his belt and twirled it around in his hand.

"Ruin, I have come for my family and my soldiers." The blue-haired man stood up straight.

Ruin shook his head, "Was it necessary to dye your hair to blend in, Zexion? I mean, you just dropped from your ship. No one will see you leave."

Zexion shrugged, "I needed a change in hair color I suppose. Now, for my family and my soldiers."

"We made a deal, brat. Your life for theirs, now I expect you to hold up your end of the deal."

Blinking his light grey eyes, Zexion raised his gun to his temple, "I am afraid, you know..."

The House officer scoffed, "I don't care. Now hold up your end of the deal, so I can get rid of these people and go home. Your Council can have this lot back, I just wanna get out of here!"

Xigbar gripped the bars of the cage, "ZEXION DON'T BE STUPID!"

"You fool..." Marluxia neared the bars, "Don't be an idiot and go through with this!"

Ruin was smirking like a mad man. He was almost dancing with joy. Hell, he even performed a backflip in anticipation. An entire year of dealing with his prisoners made him anxious to see them off. Home was a bullet away. The gun glinted in Zexion's grip. Looking at the ground, the young man pulled the trigger. Spewing out from Zexion's left temple were shards of glass.

"The Hell?" Ruin backed up as something appeared behind the blue-haired man.

"You want Hell? Go ahead and give it to him, Thanatos!" A katana fell from the Gummi and Zexion caught it, twirling it around as he tossed his 'gun' into his left hand.

A hooded figure jumped off of the top of the Gummi and stood behind Ruin. The officer's eyes widened as he spun around. Before he could say anything, something rammed into his side and sent him skidding across the floor. Holding their arms out, the hooded figure summoned Redemption and Damnation. Ruin stood up and cast aero at the hooded figure. Their hood fell off, revealing a familiar slate-haired man.

Narrowing his eyes, Ruin slammed his keyblade against the railing, "Are you serious?!"

Tossing something off of his neck, the blue-haired man nodded and Ruin noticed that his voice changed, "Yes."

"Did you honestly think I'd come here and shoot my brains out for you? I have better things to do with the guns my father gave me." Zexion smirked.

Tightening his grip on his keyblade, Ruin glared at the two, "Did you expect something more from a man driven mad by your allies?"

The Schemer rolled back his shoulders, "I would've expected more from a lackey of the House's Inner Circle."

Shouting something in a different language, Ruin rushed forward and slammed his keyblade against Zexion's. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zexion's ally aiming to strike at his back. Jumping out of the way, the officer dodged the attack. The slate-haired Nobody held his hand out and a wave of ice crashed into him. Spluttering and shivering, Ruin shook off its affects.

"Is that all you got, brats?"

A look of indifference was on the blue-haired man's features as he shot himself in the head again, "Thanatos, Evil Smile!"

Something in Ruin's gut dropped. Suddenly, his enemies seemed a lot more menacing than before. Never in his life, did Ruin just want to run or jump off the roof just to get away. His left hand flew up to grasp the side of his head and he saw flashes of demons every time he blinked. He wanted to scream Bloody Mary. There was something odd about this moment, but he ignored it. Ruin fell to his knees and set his head on the ground.

_P.O.V. Change_

Sighing, Zexion looked at his companion, "Would you like to do the honors, Minato?"

Minato shook his head, "No thanks, I've got a promise to keep. Take care, Z."

Looking at the weeping ball before him, Zexion took a step forward. The officer screamed, causing the Schemer to hesitate. Releasing another sigh from his lips, Zexion heard someone drop beside him. Glancing to his left, he saw Simone. Bowing his head, Zexion stepped away and let her deal with the mess on the floor. A strangled yell could be heard. Shaking his head, Zexion bashed the lock on the cage with the pommel of Damnation. After a few tries, the lock fell to the ground.

Demyx bolted out of the cage and latched on to the Schemer, "ZEXY! By the Hearts, I thought the guy holding the gun was you!"

"My hair and eye color is inverted compared to Minato's."

"I don't care, it scared me!"

Larxene rolled her eyes, "Dem-Dem, step aside."

Zexion winced as his sister brought one arm up, "Oh boy..."

But the blonde looped her arms around his neck and embraced him. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Returning the gesture, Zexion wrapped his arms around her. As she pulled away, the Schemer cried out. Larxene smirked in triumph and stepped off of her brother's foot. _Why didn't I choose to wear my armor?_ Hopping, the slate-haired Nobody pursed his lips at her. Xigbar gave Larxene a thumbs-up before clapping his hand against his son's back.

"Well, at least we're all back together. I can't wait to catch up with Marco, Yuki, Weavel and all the others."

A wave of guilt and sadness washed over Zexion, "About that, Father..."

"Yeah?"

"I'll update you back at Castle Oblivion. Right now, we need to find where Ruin kept our soldiers." Suddenly, a purple screen popped out in front of Zexion's face.

:No need, I've managed to lo-ca-te them. I'll transfer them onto _Fantasma_ soon.:

Blinking, Zexion crossed his arms as the HUD turned off. _If Alaryn's out on the field and Simone's with us..._ Yelling porfanities in latin Zexion opened a Portal and ran through it. This left almost everyone on the rooftop confused.

Simone smacked her forehead, "Damn my need for justice!"

FadeAwayNoOneWillNotice

**Some time later...**

**Radiant Garden**

"What are we do-ing here? Should we not be at Castle O-bliv-ion?"

Zexion's eye was cloudy as he stepped out of _Fantasma_, "We'll be here a while, Al. Tell everyone else to do whatever they want."

Simone walked up behind him, "Where are you headed?"

"Well, aren't you all full of curiosity..." The Nobody watched as a man with purple, spiked hair walked into an alley.

The key-bearer behind him seemed to have noticed the man as well. Zexion rolled his eyes at her before she could get a word in. Simone copied the action and looked away. Alaryn shook his head and went inside. Wearing a small smile of gratitude, the Schemer bolted off into the empty streets.

_P.O.V.__ Change_

Sighing, the Lady of Light turned her head just in time to see the slate-haired man disappear into the alley. Her eyes shone with concern and she took a step off of the aircraft. Somewhere behind her, the Lady could hear the boisterous laughter and chatter of Zexion's family. Simone crossed her arms, expression turning stony. Forcing herself to walk forward, she decided to try to keep an eye out for the secretive Nobody. _For your family's sake, Master Zexion, I hope you don't do anything stupid. _

FadeAwayNoOneWillNotice

**Radiant Garden: Some Random Alley**

Sparing a quick glance behind him, Zexion felt as if someone was watching him. To make sure, he scanned the area. No one was hiding behind the nearby crates, no one was perched on a rooftop, and no one was behind him, Zexion already made sure of that. But why didn't anything feel right? The skies were clear. The scent of heartless was absent, yet _something_ else's scent was there with him. The question was where? Taking a wild guess, the Schemer looked at his feet.

The small shadows of the buildings near him faced the right, but his shadow was facing _left_. Closer inspection revealed that his shadow didn't even look like him. Zexion noted more movement as he closed in on it. A hand was stretched out towards him and something else latched onto his shoulder. He wanted to yell out for help but a dull ache in the back of his head screamed "DON'T". Zexion shut his eyes and felt leather being pressed against his face. Weightlessness washed over him for a moment.

_**THUD!** _"Hearts' Mercy that hurt," The Schemer used a nearby wall to help steady himself.

A few feet away, the purple-haired man he saw was stabbing the head of an Eradicator. Grunting in effort, the man twisted his sword and the monster released a gurgled cry. Its head jerked around before stilling. Zexion glared daggers at his rescuer. Turning around to face him, the man waved and smiled meekly.

"Throwing me into a bunch of crates wasn't necessary, Vezerak."

The purple-haired man straightened out his white coat and brushed some dirt out of his fur collar, "Not an ideal place to land in, I assume?"

Zexion scoffed, "You are an _ass_."

"Come on, dear brother, you know I'm not very good with my impulses. I thought you were paying attention when I threw you." Vezerak fixed his sunglasses.

"What are you doing here, Vez? Aside from impulsively causing me pain."

Shrugging, the purple-haired man finally put away his sword, "The Kingdom Hearts universe is combined of Final Fantasy and Disney, and I figured it'd be nice to drop by and see how you were. Besides, I'm getting in hot water with Light."

"Must be tough managing the Final Fantasy dimension."

"Not really, it's usually fun. In one cycle I helped Tidus stay," Vezerak sighed,"But I can never help Auron for some reason. Then there's the other Fantasies, but I am to focus on the recent ones. In fact, I've yet to resolve a mystery."

The Schemer furrowed his brow, "What mystery?"

Vezerak exhaled, "I'm trying to figure out why Sazh has a chocobo in his hair..."

"I feel like you've done this before," Zexion deadpanned, "Are you certain that you haven't forgotten due to a head injury?"

Shaking his head, the other man rubbed his chin, "Speaking of hair, I've wondered about Seymour's. It defies physics."

"Is this _really_ the reason you've appeared here?"

"Not even close."

"Then what _is_ the reason?"

"Since your Council has been 'gone', the number of Eradicators has tripled. It's damn near impossible to get to the Spire now." Vezerak looked around before continuing, "Some have been sent to The World That Never Was and your most recent haunt."

Zexion looked at him, "You aren't the only one from the _other_ dimension that's here, are you?"

Scratching the back of his head, Vezerak sighed, "Ryuunosuke is around, but he's only temporarily helping out."

"I appreciate the thoughtfulness of you helping out. Have you been back _there_ recently?"

"War is brewing once more," The purple-haired man narrowed his eyes, "Don't change the subject. Those monsters will be giving you Hell for a while, so you'd better get around to taking care of the problem soon."

"Then our search for the other keybearers must commence. However, the threat of Eradicators still is here as well. Do you know where their nest is?" Zexion's eyes were scanning the area.

Vezerak shook his head, "Unfortunately, you're going to find the nest on your own. I have to head back to the building my charges are living in."

"So they live here now... Shadows keep you, Vez. Keep in touch." The Schemer whipped around, trying to locate a scent laced with darkness and decaying flesh as he walked away.

"Shadows keep you, Brother."

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**Woohoo! I think this is a pretty decent chapter. I hope you didn't mind the crossovers. The guys with unfamiliar names (save for Minato, if you don't know him) are my OCs for different games I've played or series that I like. As for the 'other' dimension and stuff...well, not every mystery will be resolved. But, the 'other' place is something I've imagined for a long time (I can't grow up) for my Other Characters to roam.**

**Xigbar: So like, everyone's free to mention another 'other' place in their stories, right?**

**Well, there aren't any rules against it. I mean I doubt I'm the only one who has a 'home dimension' or 'home base' for their Other Characters.**

**Vexen: In any case, dear readers, please Review this story.**

**Xemnas: Or at least this chapter, seeing as it is the writer's 'impoved' work we're looking at.**

**Oh and the OCs probably won't appear again, but they'll be mentioned. Unless someone _wants_ an OC to appear. I'd think Gavin would be fun to include.**

**Gavin: You know what my response would be to 'You are an _ass_'?**

**Well, I created you so...**

**Gavin: I'd say, 'An ass full of surprises, right Zexy?'**

**Zexion: *Facepalm* Hearts' Mercy.**


	11. Failing Illusions

**Warning: Torture is included in this chapter.**

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**The Spire: Meeting Hall**

"You idiot! Can you not do anything right?" Ambroise waved his arms around like a mad man.

Seventeen shifted in his seat, "Are you not happy that the lieutenants have been removed? Are you not glad that Captain Raes is no longer around to be an anchor to Lady Simone? Is Ruin's death not enough? Zerich told me **EVERYTHING** he knew!"

Observing the two's expressions, a pair of light orange eyes blinked in and out of existence. Across from where the eyes appeared sat a man in a tattered robe. His sleeves shifted in shape; a long, auburn, unkempt beard protuded from his hood. The eyes seemed to stay in existence, staring at the pariah but blinked out and went on to look at the others. Next to the 'pariah' was a regal looking gentleman. His light blue locks were slicked back. He wore a dark green vest with a tan shirt, its sleeves were puffed up. Bright white pants and dark brown, knee-high boots rested on the lower half of the man's body. Again, the eyes stared.

"Lord Chamberlain? Lord Chamberlain, will you not do something?" Two wide orbs of orange flickered.

Flickering back into sight, the eyes focused on the 'pariah', "What is it Contagion?"

Contagion glanced at the empty seat beside Ambroise, "Lord Chamberlain, did you not see Seventeen storm out of here?"

A sneer found its way onto the Chamberlain's features, though nobody could see it, "So what? Must I interfere when the Seeker leaves? Worry not about him, Pariah."

"But, My Lord, what if the Seeker-?" The 'prince' almost leapt from his seat.

"Just because you look like a prince, doesn't give you a right to act like one."

Settling down, the other man looked at the floor, "My Lord..."

"Look, _Tiara_, either you shut up or you visit the East Wing. Your choice."

Bowing his head in defeat, the prince crossed his arms, "Your word is law."

"Very good. Now Contagion, I want you and _Escalus _to head out. The Palace and the Nest are your home bases for now, but do feel free to join the Eradicators heading for Radiant Garden. I'm sure something exciting is bound to happen. As for you Ambroise, find Oni and Oracle. Send them to the West Wing within the hour." Blinking out, the Chamberlain's eyes left the House members' sight.

FadedDreamsFadedLiesOhHowTheSchemerCries

**Time of Day: Twilight/Sunset**

**Radiant Garden: Castle Gate**

Unholstering the twin guns his father gave him, Zexion examined the area. This was the place that Sora defeated Demyx and Goofy was knocked out cold. Almost too cold, the Schemer noted. He had been observing this event after all. For what reason, not even the Schemer knew but he stayed even so.

_-Flashback-_

_Zexion opened his Lexicon and placed himself behind Demyx. The musician fell to his knees and his beloved sitar dissolved into water. Staggering back up, he looked to his emptied hand and cried out. A lone tear fell down the Nocturne's cheek as he clutched his head and collapsed once again. Black wisps began leaving his body and Demyx's arms dropped to his sides._

_"U-ugh..."_

_The hidden Schemer went into action. Muttering a spell from his Lexicon, he summoned a column of water to help transport the wounded Nobody. As he disappeared, the Schemer took a step back and observed the aftermath of the battle. _

_"Anyone else from the Organization like to be next?" The bearer of the Kingdom Key was stomping around, and Zexion swore his eyes locked onto his._

_Donald wore a disapproving look, "Hey, Sora! Don't antagonize them!"_

_"Yeah," Goofy nodded, "We gotta go help our friends out first."_

_Turning his back to the concealed Nobody, Sora rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, sorry."_

_"Then let's go!"_

_Donald and Goofy shared a look and nodded in silent agreement. Just as the two started to make their way beside Sora, King Mickey came running down the stairs behind them. His eyes were narrowed, mouth worn in a thin line._

_"Aha! There you are!" The mouse marched over to the rebellious trio._

_Sora wanted to yell out an explanation, but the words died in his throat. Goofy pushed his index fingers together with cast down eyes. Donald lost his composure and stared at an interesting spot on the ground. A pregnant silence fell over them as Mickey thought about how to respond. Finally, his stern expression dissolved. Mickey uncrossed his arms and grinned._

_"You sure have lotsa friends to help."_

_The change in the atmosphere was instant. Sora, Goofy and Donald straightened up. Zexion guessed their faces were plastered with smiles. Making his way around the four, Zexion observed them from a different angle._

_"So, I guess we better all pull together and finish this battle for good!" Mickey hopped up._

_Mouth quirking up, Zexion watched as the trio straightened themselves up, "Yes, Your Majesty!"_

_A soft whirring stole the Schemer's attention away from the scene. Up above, a Suveillance Robot was firing away at what seemed to be a Dusk. But something went wrong and the area around the Surveillance Robot exploded. The explosion sent some rocks flying and must have destroyed the Robot itself. Zexion's eyes went wide. Goofy snapped around and noticed a rock aimed at Mickey's head. _

_The captain rushed for his king, "Look out!"_

_Mickey spun around to face him, just as the projectile collided with Goofy's head. The force of the rock sent him skidding back into the wall. Instantly, King Mickey, Sora and Donald rushed to see their fallen comrade. Meanwhile, Zexion stood rooted to his spot._

_"Goofy!"_

_Mickey stopped running after a few steps, "No..."_

_Donald collapsed beside his friend and shook him, "Hey! You're the King's Captain! You gotta get up!"_

_"C'mon, wake up!" The brunet's voice seemed a bit broken to the Nobody observing._

_"I'm sorry about the ice cream!" Donald stared dejectedly at his friend._

_"Goofy...?"_

_Zexion looked away as Donald mourned for his friend, "Oh Goofy..."_

_Sora inched closer to his fallen friend, "This is not happening... It can't be happening... It can't..."_

_The sound of leather entered his ears, causing Zexion to look up, the king's eyes were focused on the trail ahead, "They'll pay for this."_

_Whipping off his coat, the king summoned his keyblade and rushed off towards the Ravine Trail. Donald followed soon after, an angry cry passing his bill. The teen was the last to leave, sparing a glance at his friend. Reluctantly, he ran off as well to join in on the fight. This left Goofy with Zexion._

_"This is not your time..." Zexion strode over to the 'body', looking it over, "Your death is not here. It cannot be."_

_Taking Goofy's wrist into his hands, the Schemer felt a faint pulse. Relief washed over him, but the pulses grew fainter each passing second. Zexion placed a hand over the knight's head and muttered something. He kept muttering until a bright green glow enveloped his hands and was passed onto Goofy. Sniffing, the Nobody could sense that the captain's scent was barely there._

_He took ahold of Goofy's shoulders, "You aren't going to die on me!"_

_Pulling his jewelled stiletto out from his coat, Zexion made an incision on his left palm and made a fist. He muttered the same phrase as before. This time, a brilliant white light passed over both of them. Just as the light faded, the knight's eyes opened. Black orbs stared into Zexion's visible cobalt. As the Nobody stepped back and prepared to summon a Portal, Goofy sat up and held onto his shoulder._

_"You're one of them Nobodies!"_

_Zexion whipped around, "I...I can't let you remember this event..."_

_Goofy's features were contorted in confusion as the Nobody stepped back, "Now wait just a moment!"_

_"Should you ever remember this, I hope you forgive me." Raising his marked hand, Zexion slammed it against the knight's chest._

_A grey 'X' appeared on Goofy's chest and he fell back. Taking a few more steps back, the Schemer put away his stiletto. A wave of relief washed over him once more. One snap of his fingers and a Portal appeared. Before stepping through, he spared the unconscious knight one last glance._

_"You will wake up in a few minutes and believe that you were merely knocked out. After all, you _**_do_**_ get hit on the head a lot."_

_-End-_

Blinking, Zexion took in his surroundings again. Crystals lined parts of the wall and in the distance, he could see the Great Maw. _I must've walked here while reflecting._ Sniffing, the Nobody twirled his guns around and inspected the area. It reeked of decay, there were barely any hints of darkness. Barely, meaning he was close to something, but that something potentially wasn't the Eradicators' nest. Sighing, Zexion leaned against a wall. As he slid down, his vision began to swim and his heart ached.

"I can't succumb to these damned wounds! Not yet..." Clutching his side, the Schemer groaned, "Rest...that's all I need... A moment of rest..."

The smell of decay overwhelmed him. Zexion opened his eyes and stared into the eyeless face of an Eradicator. His arms snapped up and he pulled the trigger multiple times. Leaning further against the wall, the Schemer kept pulling the trigger long after his guns lost ammunition. It wasn't until he got fed up with the guns' clicks did he notice the Eradicator was no longer there. Only the wall across from him was marred with bullet holes.

Holstering his guns, Zexion summoned his keyblades, "Note to self: add more ice to wounds and learn to pay attention even while completely shocked."

FaDeAwAyAsThEhEaRtDeCaYs

**Time of Day: Dusk**

**Marketplace**

Marluxia looked around the Marketplace, "Did Zexion happen to tell you where he went off to?"

"Un-for-tu-nate-ly not, Mar-lu-xia." Alaryn replied, eyes scanning the area as well, "But he _did_ say that we'd be here a while."

The pink-haired man shot the cyborg an annoyed glance, "Why the Hell are you speaking like _that_?"

Rolling his shoulders back with a slight twitch, Alaryn began frowning, "It happened dur-ing a mission. The re-sult of re-pairs was this."

"I see. Can't you contact Zexion somehow? I'm getting worried."

Xigbar phased in front of them, "Can I do that? I'm worried too, you know."

Alaryn shook his head, eyes still scanning, "My scan-ners can-not de-tect Mas-ter Zex-ion's com-mun-i-ca-tion de-vice. Damn... It seems th-at my cir-cuits are act-ing up a-gain."

Marluxia's eye twitched, "This is going to get real annoying to talk to you."

"La-dy Simone knows h-ow to re-pair my cir-cuits. I wi-ll on-ly be a mo-ment." Stalking off, Alaryn left the two men alone.

Xigbar sighed, "If Gear Man can't help, perhaps we should start investigating this thing for ourselves. This whole waiting around thing is dull anyway."

"We don't even know where to start. Without a lead, I don't see the point."

"Doesn't hurt to try," The Freeshooter smirked.

FadedDreamsServeNoMasters

**The Great Maw**

By the time Zexion reached the Maw, it the area was bathed in the darkness of night. The city lights could be seen far behind him, but his enemies paid it no mind. The Maw was filled with Eradicators and oddly shaped Gummis. Baring his teeth, the Schemer launched himself forward and hacked away at an Eradicator. By the time he took it down, five others surrounded him. _Damn...what was I thinking?_ Zexion smacked one away and impaled another with Redemption. Stabbing the impaled monster several more times, he threw it into a group of its agitated brethren. _These things are a lot more...durable than I remember._

Something stabbed him in the back and then launched him forward. Reeling from the attack, Zexion stumbled onto his knees. _Armor...wearing it would be ideal. _The shrieks of Eradicators boomed in his ears and a pair of armored feet appeared in his peripheral vision. Looking up he saw a masked figure with an ambiguous physique. It kicked him in the face, sending him up into the air. As he landed another masked figure appeared clad in a suit that reminded Zexion of muscle tissues, with odd looking beings surrounding him. Zexion gasped for air as the realization bell rang in his head.

"U-unversed... That's not possible..."

The masked figure with the Unversed surrounding him laughed at him, "Oni, is this the guy?"

Nodding the other masked figure, Oni, joined its companion, "Take not his life, Oracle."

Oracle laughed, "I won't kill the guy."

Zexion stared at Oni, its voice was warped as if to hide something. Struggling to push himself up, the Schemer cried out as Oracle stomped on his back. With Oracle's foot keeping him down, the Nobody was unable to see what they were doing to him. However, Oracle kicked him over and planted his keyblade over Zexion's wounded chest. Oni was nearby, thrusting its keyblade into the air. A bright white light engulfed the tip of Oni's blade, while a menacing black aura surrounded Oracle's.

"The Light's gaze rejects you," The light around Oni's keyblade became tainted and was consumed by Darkness.

Instantly, Zexion found Oracle's visor an inch away from his face, "And so the Darkness beckons..."

Just as the light was tainted, the aura was purified. But, Zexion feared what was to come. What were they doing? The aura took on the form of a claw and its sharp tip rested against his chest.

"How can you possibly find redemption in the Light if you cannot even withstand its presence? The Darkness is more than willing to keep you in its embrace!"

Clenching his teeth, the Schemer felt as the claw pierced through his chest. A sickening squelching sound entered his ears as he squirmed underneath it. The Light **burned** him, his insides, _everything_. It felt as if a thousand blades were tumbling through his chest and his entire body was being thrown into a giant oven. Finally, he let loose a blood-curdling scream. Zexion kept screaming and screaming. Even as the Light faded, his chest was imploding, over and over again.

"So this is what it looks like..."

Zexion glared at Oracle, "What the Hell did you do to me?"

Oni stood over the Nobody as well, "Your heart is breaking."

"W-wh-what?" The Schemer's pain skyrocketed, "After all I've done to get it back? Even a fraction of it?"

Tossing and turning, the Schemer's fingers dug into the dirt as he gasped. It felt as if his lungs were leaving him instead. Another scream left his lips, but this one was more subdued. Then, Zexion was hyperventilating. Soon, his hyperventilation stopped and was replaced by horrendous coughs. Blood spewed from his mouth with each cough. He struggled to his knees, but stayed hunched over to continue coughing. Zexion stared at his gloves as he coughed. They were covered in blood and edges of his sleeves were stained crimson. _Wasn't it enough that I had to suffer through my oath? Now with this, I _**_lose_**_ my heart again. _Tears left the Schemer's eyes. Now they weren't even bloody anymore. Probably because he was coughing it all out.

He heard someone back away, "Oracle, let's go."

"Fine. But, let's get rid of these smelly things. Why should I let Ambroise's pets steal away _my_ fun?"

Oni sighed, "Make it quick."

"You are no fun."

As they walked off, Zexion stuggled onto his feet. Taking a step towards the Crystal Fissure, he fell to his knees. He wiped the blood off his face and stared at the ground. Some distance away, the Schemer could hear footsteps nearing him. Zexion looked up and saw a frown on his rescuer's face. Looking away, the young man sighed heavily.

Kneeling down, the other person grabbed onto his shoulders, "Stay awake, Z. Now is not the time to rest."

"Vez..." Groaning, the Nobody stared at the dark sky, "I'm not invincible or invulnerable...I forget which is which when I'm like this..."

Vezerak lifted him up, "Remember, you are to act fine. Cast your illusion and walk back."

"What, you won't help me?" Zexion watched as his brother began walking ahead of him.

"I _am_ helping you. If I were to help you walk back, who'd get rid of those weird creatures that dot the Trail?"

"Must be the Unversed..."

"Let's go."

Without another word, the purple-haired man marched ahead. This made the weakened Nobody chuckle. Of course Vez was all about business. Holding onto his right shoulder, Zexion limped forward. Redemption and Damnation were left behind in his pool of blood. They no longer had a master to serve. A person without the strength of heart to wield them would never control their power. However, they aren't exactly your _average_ pair of keyblades.

BirthDeathRebirthDeathRetrievalTheft

**Marketplace**

Xigbar eyed his surroundings, waiting, watching. Pacing before the ramp leading into _Fantasma_, the Freeshooter became increasingly concerned for his little schemer. _You'd think he'd bother to spend time with us... Figures the scheming brat would hide away..._ Glancing at what he could see of _Fantasma's_ interior, Xigbar cursed at fate. He was stuck out here waiting for his kid to get back from his little business trip. The level of the annoyance in Xigbar rivaled his concern. Suddenly, a purple-haired guy wearing a white coat with a fur collar appeared around a corner.

"You _should_ be happy."

Following the man was the object of the Freeshooter's concern, which grew at the sight of the Schemer's appearance, "I don't see the point."

Xigbar ran towards the distracted duo, "Aren't you a ray of sunshine? I bet you, if your allies saw you now they'd be freakin' estatic."

"Seeing as I've been gone for a while, yeah." Zexion seemed to take notice of his father's presence, "Well, Vez, look at who's here."

Vez turned to see Xigbar's arrival, "Ah, you must be Z's father."

Casting a stern look at the Schemer, the elder Nobody nodded, "Well, dude, I haven't met you before. How did ya hear about that?"

"Z was just telling me about you and the rest of his family." This Vez person made Xigbar uneasy. _Who the Hell is this guy?_

"In any case, thank you for escorting me. I'll be sure to keep in contact Vez." Pushing past them, Zexion limped towards _Fantasma_.

"Now hold on, little dude," Xigbar ran after him, "I'm gonna need you to explain to me why you have all that blood on you."

The slate-haired Nobody tried to speed up, "Things came up, Father."

"Right, that explains _everything_. Pft, as if," Rolling his eye, Xigbar gingerly wrapped his arm around his son's neck.

"Get off."

"Tell me what happened."

"Nothing you should be concerned about."

"I'd be a piss-poor dad if I wasn't concerned."

"Leave me alone."

"No!"

"..."

"..."

By now, Xigbar was glaring at his son. The boy was looking away, as if he were ashamed of something. Now, the Freeshooter wanted to know. Whatever the Hell happened, he was positive that he deserved to know. Zexion brushed aside his bangs and awkwardly crossed his arms. Xigbar tightened his grip around the Schemer's neck. Just enough to keep a firm hold, but not enough to hurt. Then Xigbar opened his mouth to speak; he was getting sick of getting nowhere with things that concerned Zexion. As the elder Nobody and as his _father_, Xigbar was going to demand answers. No more games. No more hiding.

Before he could get a word out of his mouth, Vez darted in front of them, "Whoa, whoa, wait! You're just gonna head out like that?"

"I grow tired of all these mindless questions..." Zexion tried pulling away from his father.

"Okay, so your current mood isn't great...but Z, you should really be glad for today!"

Xigbar raised an eyebrow, "Why? What's today?" _It feels like something about today is special._

Vez dug for something inside his coat and pulled out a locket, presenting it to Zexion, "Happy 22nd birthday, Z!"

Unwrapping his arm around the Schemer's neck, Xigbar watched as Vez dropped the locket into Zexion's waiting palm. Some sort of emotion flashed in the younger Nobody's eye. Before the Freeshooter could tell what it was, his visible eye became dull. Balling his hand into a fist, Zexion stared at it. Within seconds, the locket went flying and hit a wall. Xigbar gaped at his son's actions.

"If you didn't like the gift, little schemer, you could've used your words."

Clenching his hands into fists until they shook, the slate-haired man whipped around to face him, "You don't know me well enough to judge my actions!"

Vez raised his arms up, "Damn, Z, calm youself. I know seeing that locket must've brought back bad-."

"You Hearts damned fool! How could you forget how I felt about _that_?" Something glistened along the Schemer's cheek.

"I...I remember when you told me that a member of your family wanted you to have that." Vez looked away; Xigbar was ready to knock him out.

Finally, the Schemer bolted off onto _Fantasma_. Leaving Vez with a very angry Freeshooter. Slowly, the purple-haired man stepped back and then walked away. Xigbar was more than happy to see him leave. Once he was sure the stranger was gone, he went to pick up the locket. It must've opened upon impact because now the elder Nobody could see its contents. Inside was a small photo of a family of four. Standing in the back was a man with slate hair, his arm wrapped around a blonde woman. The woman held a little blonde girl in her arms, while a slate-haired boy stood in front of the man. Xigbar scrunched up his nose. Everyone but the boy was smiling.

Smacking the side of his head, Xigbar's stomach flipped. He forgot his own kid's birthday! Damn, he _is_ a piss-poor father. Who the Hell forgets their own kid's birthday? Piss-poor parents, like the Freeshooter of course. Xigbar pushed aside his thoughts and ran inside the Gummi. He had to make up for this and hear the truth. Whichever came first, he'd find both out anyway. First thing: Get Zexion to forgive him, and then the second thing is: Get said Schemer to spill the beans about the lie about his age. Then again, if Xigbar paid good attention to Larxene's age, then he'd know that Zexion had lied during Ambroise's questioning.

Groaning, Xigbar hit his head against a nearby wall, "Man, I'm the worst dad _ever_."

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**Aw Xiggy, you aren't a bad dad.**

**Xigbar: I forgot my kid's birthday.**

**Xemnas: You weren't even smart enough to do the math with Larxene's age.**

**You aren't helping.**

**Vezerak: Read and Review. I'm going to appear more often, just so you know!**

**I'll be dropping the word based chapters for now or alternate between using them or otherwise.**


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